Tulips of Fortuity
by Rosa D'inverno
Summary: A story of friendship, sports, and love in Seishun Gakuen Academy. Centres on Tezuka-OC-Fuji.
1. Remembering

Disclaimer- Nothing of Prince of Tennis belongs to me. The characters which you don't recognise belong to me, as well as the storyline.

A/N- Read on, hopefully the story brings a smile to your face. :) Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated, but please, no profane language! thanks in advance;)

And I present to you,

_Tulips of Fortuity-_

* * *

It was a beautiful morning. An azure sky filled with clouds, the subtle blowing of the wind bringing about a hint of hope. She smiles a wistful smile, knowing quite clearly what she is hoping for. It has been four years now, four years since she's laid eyes on them. The emails and phone-calls started out regular, becoming increasingly scarce over time. And by the second year, some form, any form of communication was already a privilege she had to hold on to in order to make it last for months on end.

It wasn't anyone's fault. She realized that, and acknowledged that sometimes, time and effort just weren't enough, and it is true sometimes when people say, "It just couldn't be helped." Time does have this strange effect of numbing things; the cottoning of feelings and the acceptable hollow quality to our lives.

As she gazed into the flowers displayed in the shop window on her right, as she takes in both the vibrant and the somewhat duller colors of the many flower bouquets, she knows that the past four years hasn't just been all dreary and lackluster days. It's just that the languid years of waiting seem long and monotonous as compared to the sparkling days of their school years.

But in a way, she has been more than blessed. Even though the people she desires to be with most weren't there to share her life with her, she has a team of people still with her. Some of them have left like the ones she hopes for; either to pursue their intended vocations or to dwell in other cities, but others stayed behind like her. In fact, many of the original group of people stayed. This was their home after all.

--

It was as if the forget-me-not bouquet was there to remind her that not all was lost, and there is always a promise; an expectation that awaits her, that even though they might all be living their own lives now, but someday, there will be a gathering of them all back together. One day, there will be a complete re-union.

'I wonder if he remembers'. As she thought to herself, she wonders, whether if the taller one of her two hopes remembers the promise he made to her before he left for Germany. 'What was it again?' Even she was hard-pressed in remembering the exact details of that promise. As she glanced back up to the shop window, she recalls that the promise was about flowers. 'Yes, he promised me flowers when he returns.' She grins, knowing how being him, it was so uncharacteristic to propose wanting to give her flowers. But a promise is still a promise, and it would be interesting to see him holding a bunch of flowers just for her.

She walks on, moving past the rows of shops, taking firm and collected steps. All that reminiscing has led her to an almost whimsical mood, and she wasn't ready to dwell on it any further. The past years have been enough; more than enough time had been spent thinking and re-thinking of how things could have been different. What is meant to happen will happen, and there is nothing she can do to change it. Besides, she's got a get-together to go to.

Thinking of how she is to see the rest of her team-mates, those who have remained in Tokyo was enough to lift her spirits. She is glad that despite everyone's busy schedules, those who could make it will always be there at their usual sushi restaurant, on the 7th of every month. At times there would be just a few of them, on other months, during the non-peak periods of the year, there would be more of them gathered there. She was one of the regulars; a few of them made up the constant group of people. And now, as she makes her way towards their favorite hang-out place, she tucks the memory of her two people neatly back into the corners of her mind and heart, save for one last question.

What was it again? The thought keeps flashing across her mind. For a reason unbeknownst to her, she just could not recall the specific type of flowers she had expected to receive from him. He didn't mention any particular type, but she just had a distinct knowledge of his gift. 'Roses? No, too common.'

She ponders again, knowing it's something more marked. 'Tiger lilies?' She almost scoffs at her second choice, knowing it's too extravagant for him. Besides, was it even possible to imagine someone of his stature carrying tiger lilies? 'No, it's something else. She believes it's something simpler, and yet explicit at the same time.

--

'Ah. I remember it now'.

Tulips. White Tulips with Apple Blossoms. Forgiveness entwined together with the promise of love and of home-coming.

And not to forget, he owes her a medal. For leaving her to seek greater heights in the sport he loves, and just simply for the sake of it. Well, it shouldn't be _that_ hard for the once buchou of one of Japan's national teams to win a medal would it? Out of the four grand slam events for tennis, surely one medal a year should be more then possible.

Besides, she already knows he has a few titles with his name on it. The wonders of the media, albeit ignoring the other disadvantages of it. There has been more than enough media coverage on the press, the television, radio, and not to mention the constant updates from the rest of the team to let her be sure of the fact that she is about to receive a trophy from him.

She's just hoping he knows which one she prefers. However, she's not too worried over that. Despite his cool exterior, she knows he never takes for granted all the conversations they've had over the years. And that is precisely why she is willing to wait for him to return back to her. Because she knows clearly that he will never let her down. Moreover, he will never let his team down.

That's Tezuka Kunimitsu for you.

* * *


	2. Catching up

Disclaimer: Nope, Prince of Tennis is still not mine.

A/N- to those who have reviewed, thanks dears! I will try my best to keep the tense constant. haha, this has always been my problem when I write:( anyway, the first two chapters are basically a prequel to the main story, and there isn't much of a plot line cause it's just a glimpse of what happens after their school years. Hopefully this makes sense;)

and so, the second part of the prequel-

* * *

As she approaches Taka-san's sushi restaurant, she recalls how the team would always head straight to that place to celebrate their wins at both the Kantou and National tournaments. Looking straight ahead, she sees the warm and familiar lights adorning the front wooden doors of the restaurant. The loud, boisterous voices reach her before she even steps into the place, and as she walks in, she scans the room for the group of people she is looking for.

She spots Taka-san first, who is busy preparing sashimi and sushi for his customers behind the counter. He waves at her and points to the table near the back of the room. Smiling at him in thanks, she crosses over to the spot he pointed at.

Purple hair. A bandanna. A plaster on a cheek. No guesses on which male former tennis players turned up for the gathering this month. And she is delighted to see also her comrades from the former Seigaku female tennis team. Hideki Reika, the former fuku-buchou is there, and she looks like she is already taking charge of things as usual, trying to break up the quarrel between Momo and Kaidoh. Those two seem never to learn.

She smirks as she thinks of how an order of 50 laps ought to do the trick of silencing those two. Tetsuya Akino and Haruka Yumi, her two closer friends have already arrived, and from the looks on their faces, they seem to be as amused as she is over the situation. Four years on and nothing much seems to have changed.

--

"Nya! Rie- san, over here!" Ever the observant one, the hyper Eiji is the first to notice her walking over to them, and he quickly rushes over to envelop her in a hug. "Hurry hurry, now that Momo is arguing, he won't notice that the eel sushi rolls are taken by us." Yuki Rie smiles at how Eiji remembers that she loves eel sushi as much as he and Momo do. After being released by Eiji, she settles down comfortably between Akino and Yumi. Those who are there today are pretty much the regulars. Out of the seven gathered there, excluding Taka-san, four of them took up the career of teaching.

This included Momo, Eiji, Yumi and Rie herself. They stayed on in Seishun Gakuen Academy, with Momo and Eiji being the physical education teachers in the school. After graduating from university, Momo went on to help Ryuusaki-sensei in helping to coach the tennis team. On the other hand, being trained in acrobatic tennis, Eiji applied to be the assistant Head of Gymnastics, and was given the job. Whereas for Yumi and Rei, they majored in English and English Literature in university respectively and hence decided to follow their majors and teach in their alma mater. Kaidoh ended up being a professional marathon runner and at times runs for charity purposes.

Since they are all stationed in Tokyo, it isn't surprising that they are the ones who can meet up regularly. In fact, for the four of them, they see each other quite often in school. For Reika, she became a law attorney. Specializing in social security, she doesn't have to travel abroad, and thus when there aren't any major cases, she is more than willing to keep to the agreement of meeting up once a month.

As for the rest, Oishi went on to study at a medical school abroad, and will soon start his medical fellowship in a few months' time. Inui went on to major in Research and Development in the chemicals industry in America, hoping to follow up on producing safe and effective sports drinks. Echizen of course went on to pursue professional tennis, and has been named the youngest player yet to clinch the four Gram Slam titles in just his first two years of playing on professional grounds.

As for the girls, Misako buchou went on to enroll in a prestigious tennis academy in Russia to be trained in becoming a professional tennis coach. Seika and Kyoko decided to take the entrepreneurial route and started a café. As for Hinako and Hiroko being the inseparable ex-doubles pair, decided to further their studies and pursue their PhDs in England. That said, the main reason why the rest couldn't make it is because they are all currently overseas, and are able only to drop by once a in a while, mainly during holidays.

--

As Rie cradles her warm cup of green tea in her hands, she looks around and sees how after Reika has successfully silenced Momo and Kaidoh, and how the latter two have started a match of who can eat-the-most-sushi, and how Eiji and Yumi seem to be in a world of their own, talking about the latest pop band called The Players, she thinks of how different and yet similar things are now.

"Still thinking about them?" As usual, Akino is the first to pick up on the change in her mood. Having being paired together as doubles before, it is hardly surprising that Akino knows her better than the rest, save maybe for Yumi. Before Rie can answer Akino's question, there is a flash of light and then a "snap" sound is heard. Both of them turn round in time to see a guy waving his camera at his friends from the next table. "That reminds me of him, Akino." The camera, and the smile. He was always known for his candid shots, which somehow always turn up pretty spectacular.

--

_Fuji Syuusuke._

Just shortly after Tezuka left for Germany, Fuji left to pursue his dreams of becoming a world-class photographer. After graduating from a well-known Arts Academy in France, he has since been on the road, traveling to many places to capture the world through the lens of his camera. The last she heard of him came in the form of a postcard from a small town in Italy. There are rumors that after four years, the tensai will be back to stage an exhibition in his homeland of Japan. For once, Rie hopes that the rumors will turn out to be true.

"He'll be back soon Rie, just as he said he will be. Neither of them are ones who would fail to keep their promises." Even as Akino reassures her, Rie knows that she believes the same thing in her heart. Just as they round up their conversation, they look up just in time to hear Momo exclaiming, "Take that Mamushi, 60 sushi rolls as compared to your 54. Now, who's the winner?" Eiji burst out into laughter at seeing Momo and Kaidoh's mouths stuffed with sushi, and soon the whole table ends up laughing at the comical side of the situation. Honestly, the fun never ends with those two around.

Times are good now, it's just sometimes, they wished they could re-live the united days of their school lives. It's just a different story altogether when everyone is present and deep down; she knows they all miss the camaraderie they enjoyed in the past. Perhaps, in just a few more months, things will be just as they were before. _C'est La Vie_. Such is life.

* * *

Okay, this chapter might have been confusing to you all. For my story, besides the guys' team, they will be plenty more OCs. And the more prominent ones belong to the girls' tennis team. Some background infomation on them:

Fueki Misako (buchou): 3rd year

Yuki Rie : 3rd year

Hideki Reika (fuku-buchou) : 3rd year

Tetsuya Akino : 3rd year

Haruka Yumi : 3rd year

Mayuko Seika : 2nd year

Natsuki Kyoko : 2nd year

Oshidari Hinako : 3rd year

Yajima Hiroko : 2nd year

That's the girl's team.

Starting from the next chapter onwards, we will return to four years before, during the time-line of the manga. I won't be following the time-line in the manga strictly, some events may look familiar, but I will be tweaking them for most parts.

Hope this clears things up!=)

Till the next post!


	3. Start of Senior Year

__

Disclaimer: Still, I do not own Prince of Tennis or anything you recognise. But OCs are mine. Storyline is mine too;)

A/N- Anyway, I had fun writing this chapter, it's not much, but I guess I just wanted to end off the chapter as it is. I will try my best to lengthen subsequent chapters!:) I hope you'll have fun reading it, cause at least I did;) This chapter will be the official start to the main story, so I do hope it goes well=)

* * *

Four Years Ago-

_**Seishun Gakuen Middle Academy**_

_**First Day of Senior Year**_

_**Homeroom 3-1**_

First day back to school and the teachers just have to line up all the most taxing subjects before lunch. Two hours of Math right in the morning, followed by an hour of Science, and after bombarding the students with information about symmetry, algebra, chemicals and the physical anatomy, the school just had to send the World History teacher down for two tedious hours of recounting the past. Yuki Rie has absolutely nothing against the subject or the teacher.

In fact, she has an interest in people and events long past, and Akisada-sensei is a quite a proficient lecturer, though she can be quite quirky sometimes. No, Rie, has nothing negative to say about World History, just that the topic really isn't suitable to be taught at ten in the morning. A lesson that is definitely not suitable for teaching especially at ten in the morning on the first day of school.

You would think the teachers would have gotten the feedback by now. By apparently, even in Rie's senior year in Seishun Gakuen Academy, World History is still given the worst slot possible in the allocated time-table. As Akisada-sensei talks about the "fascinating" facts about the French Revolution, Rie tries her best to not let her eyelids droop beyond the point of no return.

She tries to fix her eyes on the text set open before her, but the words just seem like a blur to her, and if she focuses hard enough, it actually creates the opposite effect of drowning out the world around her and sinks her deeper into slumber land. 'Okay, look at the teacher; fix your attention on the words she is saying. Something about an absolute monarchy, and the well-known period of the Reign of terror…Reign of terror…monarchy…the French…Feudal privileges…', her eyelids sink a level lower.

--

Tezuka Kunimitsu glances over to his right and realizes that his seating partner is once again fighting off the sleep that threatens to overtake her. Honestly, from what he can see, she seems to be fighting a losing battle right from the start. Not that he can blame her entirely, as when Akisada-sensei takes a break from lecturing to pause for a water break, he takes the opportunity to look around the classroom, and notices that ¾ of the class is also already in the state of unconsciousness and some do not even have the decency to try to stay awake; being slumped over on their desks.

He is glad to note however, that Oishi is awake and listening attentively to the lesson. At least, his fellow team member hasn't let the team and guard down. Even though Tezuka suspects the only reason why Oishi like him, hasn't succumbed to the same effect is because they both conscientiously write notes. They scribble the words fast enough to keep them awake. 'Besides, World History is an interesting subject', as Tezuka reflects on the state of the class, he wonders if he should attempt once again to try and revive his seating partner. Knowing Akisada-sensei's tendency to select Yuki to answer her impromptu questions, Tezuka decides to try to wake her up before she falls into further embarrassment.

"Yuki."

Okay, maybe he needs to speak a little louder; she seems not to have heard him.

"Yuki Rie. Wake up." She stirs a little, her head still balancing precariously between her two crossed hands. "Hmmm?" She responds, but is too sleepy to open her eyes fully, for even Tezuka's commanding voice is unable to have full impact when one is fully immersed in slumber.

Noticing that Akisada-sensei has resumed her lesson and is now approaching their desks, he has no other choice than to knock over his pencil case. The loud crash is sufficient in waking Rie up, not to mention half of their other sleeping classmates as well. "Gomen. It will not happen again."As Tezuka bends over to pick up his pencil case, he can almost swear he noticed a smile on the sensei's face. Not that he swears, but the smile was quite unexplainable.

--

"Yuki-san, I presume you've been following my class quite closely, and if possible, can you provide the class with the leaders of the French court, whose conspicuous consumption was supposedly one of the reasons for the French Revolution, which took place from 1789 to 1799?(1)"Akisada-sensei smiles pointedly at one of the brighter students in her class. Rie blinks rapidly as she tries to clear the sleep from her eyes, and tries desperately to recall what the tutor had been talking about for the past hour or so. 'Oh no, who was it again?'Rie knows that it was this King Louis and this female, but King Louis the what? 'Twelfth? No, later than that. And the female's name has something to do with Marie.'

Glancing back up at her tutor, she puts the pieces of the puzzle together, and hopes to Kami-sama she gets her answer correct. "Akisada-sensei, I would believe it was King Louis XVI and his wife, Queen Marie-Antoinette." With bated breath, she remains standing until Akisada-sensei remarks with, "Well done Yuki-san. You never fail to surprise me, and do keep up with the revision." As Rie sinks back down in her seat, she wonders if she really did see the half-smirk on her sensei's face. 'Iie...it can't be possible. What's there to smirk about in a history class? Unless…darn, she must have caught me sleeping."

Trying to concentrate once again on her text, she realizes that for some strange reason or other, she is always saved from embarrassing herself in lessons when she falls asleep sub-consciously. It's like someone would either drop a pencil case, knock into her table or seat accidentally, start coughing or sneezing all of a sudden…and come to think of it, majority of all those happenings seem to have occurred right next to her, from none other than her classmate seated to her left. Third year senior and buchou of the tennis team - Tezuka-san.

--

Tezuka Kunimitsu. For all her three years in school, they've been in the same class. The first year, they were mere acquaintances, the second year, they managed to talk more, mainly because they had been assigned as partners for a few projects (she remembers how Tezuka would have tons to contribute when it came to things related to the project and tennis-related stuff, but when she ventured into other areas, all she got was one-liners), it was only when they approached the end of their second year that Rie could honestly say that they are on the way to becoming friends.

Tezuka is naturally an individual with a more silent type of personality; he doesn't talk much, as he's the kind who tends to observe more than to speak out. He chooses his words with great restraint because he has the wisdom to be sensitive and isn't one to say things just for the sake of saying. To her, Tezuka is like the sport he loves; at first it's difficult to pick it up, but as long as you put in the effort, you will realize that you get more out of him then you first expect to. It takes time for him to warm up to people, but when he allows people to bridge the gap; he is actually quite predictable and easy to talk to. It's as if when you reach that stage of understanding, you begin to see clearly Tezuka as he really is, and not just the exterior that many take for granted.

His tennis team-mates are the closest ones to the full understanding of their buchou, as it does take some sort of affinity to be part of the same team. Anyway, somehow for Rie, she feels that this year, there's just this chance of her getting to know him more. And perhaps, she might be able to understand him more. It would be a pity not to be able to at least make a decent attempt to do so now that it's their second year being seating partners.

--

Trying her hardest not to yawn, she glances surreptitiously to her left and observes silently the subject of the thoughts she had just now. He has that dark, mahogany hair that flops downwards, along with the clear-rimmed glasses which fail to hide his brown eyes. The pair of plain dark brown eyes he has contains this sharpness and this spark if one looks closely enough; especially when he's playing a game. 'Wait, dark brown eyes? Darn, he caught me looking at him', glancing back down at her notes hurriedly, she fails to hide the slight blush on her face. 'I knew I shouldn't have looked his way…'

Raising his eyebrow slightly, Tezuka goes back to writing down his notes, and decides to think about why his classmate was staring at him with this almost glassy look in her eyes later. The lesson is more important after all. He just hopes that the glassy look doesn't mean that she's about to fall asleep again.

--

Thankfully, after thirty almost painful minutes, lunch break arrives with the ringing of the bell. "Oh, thank Kami-sama! The bell couldn't have come at a better time; it's a good thing we don't have to listen to anymore of the gruesome details of the French Revolution."Rie grins at her friend right next to her, after hearing her exclamation. Similarly, Haruka Yumi, her childhood friend cum neighbor cum classmate fell into the same trap of boredom for the past two hours.

While she tries to flatten the few strands of hair that managed to stick out of her ponytail, Yumi looks over at Rie and starts asking, "So Rie, where is Akino going to meet us? Did she say the canteen or our homeroom? Or are we to look for her at her CCA (2) booth?" Just when Rie is about to answer, they see Akino herself jogging lightly over to them. "Hey girls, ready to begin choosing your CCAs again?" Ah right. That time of the year again. At the start of ever year, all the students have to summit in a list of which CCA they would either like to join or remain in.

As it wasn't compulsory to remain in a CCA permanently, many students opt to try out the different CCAs the school offers before settling down in one. "Speaking of which, I'm thinking of trying out a second CCA, you know, just for fun, nothing to serious," Yumi, being in the kendo club already thinks of getting some extra exercise apart from her kendo activities. "Besides Rie, after quitting that stint at table tennis, you ought to start thinking of what other CCAs you can try out. Maybe we can join the same one!"

Rie refrains from sighing at the mention of CCAs. It is rather embarrassing to note that during the past two years, she has yet to find one particular CCA that can maintain her interest for more than a few months. She's tried almost every CCA in the school. From Basketball, Volleyball, Kendo, Badminton, Table Tennis, Hockey, Art Club, Dance club to even the Chess club, she has come to a point where options are running out for her. Save for two.

And Akino reminds her of that, "Say Rie, You know you do have two other options to choose from right? Unless you have forgotten which club I represent?" Doing a mini twirl on the spot, Akino's sports uniform already reveals what she is about to say, "It's either Tennis, or…"

"…Curling club."

Yumi almost starts laughing at the comical look on Rie's face. "There isn't much of a choice, is there? I mean, Curling? Don't make me laugh. There's like TWO members in the entire club, and there isn't even a proper coach for goodness' sake." Rie nods her head at that. "Really, there isn't much choice. Tryouts begin today for your sport right Akino? Yumi, shall we just try it later? I mean there's nothing to lose right? And I think Akino mentioned before that non-regulars don't face much pressure being in the team, and tennis is a good opportunity to get some exercise…"Smiling, Akino adds, "Besides, I'm there, so it's an extra plus!"Judging from the excitement on her face, Yumi and Rie finally decide to just head on down for the tennis tryouts for the girls' team later, if anything, just to humor Akino, and hopefully, perhaps find a sport which Rie can finally settle down in.

* * *


	4. Tennis tryouts

Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own anything related to Prince of Tennis.

A/N: hey all, the fourth chapter is up!=) and Christmas is arriving soon! haha, random, but yes, I love Christmas-time:) Anyway, pardon any mistakes made in this chapter!

* * *

_"Never tell anyone how good you are. Let your game do the talking."_

- Dale LePrevost

* * *

After having the discussion on the CCAs and having their home-made bentos for lunch, it is time to get back to the remaining lessons for the day. Fortunately, what is left is just an hour of Geography and two hours of English. Having survived the Geography lesson, Yumi and Rie are finally able to take a breather and relax for the last lesson of the day. English lessons are always fun cause the tutors assigned for the lessons are often relatively casual in their style of teaching and not as strict about rules and regulations. Moreover, the senseis usually have very interesting ways of teaching the students new words and how to carry out decent conversations in English.

Being in their senior year already, naturally the senseis' expectations of the students are higher and hence they trust that the students will make full use of the free time assigned to them to practice speaking. The basic structure of English lessons for senior year students is like this: An hour of teaching new vocabulary, and of watching a few short clips with English as the main language, and the next hour will be the practice time for students to go into either twos or threes to work on their conversational English. The new words taught today by Takahi-sensei include: Foofaraw, inscrutable, maunder, vicissitude, amity, ebullient, multifarious, raillery, propound, and Hobson's choice.

One can almost feel the excitement in the air as the students prepare to think of creative ways to weave those ten words into their conversations later. Some of the students look a little perplexed as to how to capture the full meaning of the words and how to use them accurately. It's a good thing both Rie and Yumi consider English as one of their better subjects, so there isn't much pressure, and this means the time now is probably going to be used for a catching up session.

It's a joy really. Stretching a little, Rie prepares to settle comfortably in her seat and starts fiddling with the tape recorder on her table. Yes, their conversations in class are to be recorded so that the students can re-play the tape and make improvements to what they have said in classes. Thankfully the tapes never get round to the senseis, or else most students will be trapped in trying to answer how they used previous words like beatific, plaintive, and quixotic while discussing what to have for tea after school. Well…as long as the words carry appropriate meanings, they can be tweaked to fit situations right? And they are supposed to practice the words in the situation of everyday conversation aren't they?

--

_**In English-**_

"Alright Yumi, you can start first today. Tell me when you're ready and I'll start the tape rolling."

"Okay. Anyway Rie, before we begin, I've selected five words as usual, the rest is yours to use okay?"

"Sure. Did you get the word Foofaraw?"

"Yeah I did. Lucky you. I was hoping to avoid getting that. Well, I'm sure I can make something up along the way. Smoke my way through you know?" Yumi grins at how they would always end up smoking through the words they have to use before nodding her head at Rie.

"Right, I've started the tape. What topic are we going to talk about today?"

Yumi stares at her for a moment before answering, "Since when do we have a topic for discussion? Isn't it just free flow? And just us having random snippets of conversations? Anyway, I was thinking of the tennis tryouts later, and honestly, I'm having second thoughts about it."

"Tell me about it. Tennis is like some kind of _inscrutable _sport that baffles me whenever I try to think about it. I mean the only encounters I have with tennis comes in the form of that good-looking player called Roger Federer. And maybe Rafael Nadal too. But that's about it!"

"Precisely! I mean I don't think I even know how to hold a racquet properly, I've heard that there's such a thing as a Western grip and an Eastern grip, whatever that is, and to tell you the truth, I always mix up the scoring points of tennis games with badminton games. Besides, sometimes I just don't get what the _foofaraw_ over tennis is all about!"

Rie resists the urge to smile at how impeccably Yumi has weaved in the foofaraw word. Ingenious really, she couldn't have thought of a better way to use it.

"I'm inclined to agree with you on the part of the Western and Eastern grip Yumi, but as for the latter, about the foofaraw, you know, I'm going to be totally uncharacteristic of me now, but sometimes I'm able to empathize with the tennis fan-girls in our school. I mean, not over the male tennis players we've got, or at least not yet, but when I watch some of the professional tennis players on television, okay fine, mainly Federer, they have such smooth movement, expressive moments and not to mention amazing tennis shots! And I managed to learn about the scoring point-system for tennis just by watching the tennis matches; it's quite easy to get the hang of it."

"Okay, okay. Rie, don't turn on fan-girly on me. Anyway, it's time also for you to stop _maundering_ around from one CCA to another. And it's good to see at least some passion for tennis from you. Who knows, tennis might really be the sport which will cause you to stay permanently in a team."

"Hmmm, true, and besides, I've heard from Akino that the _amity_ the tennis team shares is quite something to be part of. It's like a family, according to her. And the people in the team really do look out for each other and all, it sounds quite sweet actually."

Yumi pauses for a moment. She looks over behind Rie, and tries not to laugh as she carries on the conversation.

"I'm sorry, but at your mention of tennis group feelings, I just cannot comprehend warmth in the form of the stoic male tennis buchou. I mean how do you reconcile the word _sweet_ with him?"

"Hey hey. First impressions are not always the best. Besides, we haven't really had the chance to talk to him and to find out more about him. But somehow, I can still sense that he cares a lot for his team-mates. I mean he may not express it in conventional ways, but there's just this protective air about him when he talks about his team members."

"Come to think of it, I guess you're right. And whenever I pass by the tennis courts, the team just seems more _ebullient_ when Tezuka-san is around. He's like some inspirational figure for them or something. It's quite impressive really."

"Of course. He's_ Tezuka_ after all. And I really do think it will be great to actually belong to such a united and _multifarious_ team of people. I mean to build such close connections and deep friendships within a group of so many diverse people, is something really remarkable. I would like to have something like that in my life here at school."

"Alright then. This might just be our chance at having some sort of _vicissitude_ here in school!"

"Yup, Akino's choice for us is turning out to be more and more like a suggestion good enough to _propound _on rather than what at first seemed to be a _Hobson's choice_."

"I seriously think we're good at smoking our way through English lessons. And honestly, thinking through the ways we have used the words, I think we made quite decent attempts in exercising the new vocabulary amidst our _raillery_. Don't you think so Rie?"

"Of course, Yumi. We're partners. Anyway, what's for tea later on after the tryouts?" (:P)

--

And so after the English lesson, the school bell rings, signaling the end of school for the day. Well, the inevitable is here. But after their conversation, Yumi and Rie are somewhat more excited about the tryouts that will be held in half an hour's time. So with their new-found anticipation, they wave goodbye to their classmates and start to make their way towards their lockers to pick up their P.E attire.

Akino said she'll meet them straight at the tennis courts as she has to help in the preparation for the tryouts, as they are expecting quite a number of hopeful participants, judging by those who signed up at their CCA booth earlier during the school day. After changing into the school's P.E attire of a simple white sports shirt and a pair of white shorts, the pair starts to head down to the tennis clubhouse to pick up the tennis racquets provided for them for the tryouts.

As they are just about to approach the clubhouse, they can see a crowd of about thirty odd people already gathered there, and some have already picked up their tennis racquets. "Rie, do you think the tennis club will have enough spare racquets to loan us?"Yumi looks over at her friend, only to see that Rie seems to be pondering about the same question. "I guess so? I mean if they don't, we'll just have to wait for others to finish their tryouts before borrowing the racquets from them? It should be alright. No worries." While Rie is re-assuring Yumi, they find themselves queuing up for the racquets. After a short while, it came to their turn.

"There you go, two racquets right?" Smiling at the pair, the tennis regular manning the booth hands them a white and a grey racquet, before wishing them luck for their tryouts. Rie takes the white racquet, and Yumi starts to test out on how to grip the tennis racquet given to her. "Hmmm, is it supposed to be held this way? Or is it this way? It feels weird somehow. How I wish I am holding my usual shinai (1) now rather than this conception they call a racquet." Rie grins at the way Yumi is waving her grey racquet in kendo-style, and slowly guides her into a more comfortable and accurate way of holding the racquet. "It should be this way instead. Expect nothing else from me though; holding the racquet is the only thing I remember from watching the tennis matches on TV, besides the point system. And I think this is how Akino once told me about how to grip a racquet."

Yumi adjusts her grip accordingly, and smiles when it feels better now that her grip seems to be firmer than before. "Hey it works, thanks Rie! Look, I think we should join the crowd over there for the briefing." Rie nods her head slightly and as soon as they reach the spot near the fence surrounding the tennis courts, they see this tall and well-built female starting to address the crowd.

"Hi to you all, as some of you may know, I'm Fueki Misako, buchou of the girls' tennis team. We are all very pleased to see so many of you being interested in joining our team. Thank you for taking the time and effort to come for the tryouts. However, currently, we're looking for only twenty-five more students to join our club, but according to Reika-san who is at the counter, forty of you have signed up for the tryouts. So I'm sorry to say we will only be selecting twenty-five of you here."

Noticing the murmurs from the crowd, Fueki-buchou goes on to add, "I know the news is sudden, but as long as you try your best, we promise you that we will not let your efforts go unnoticed. So without further ado, the structure of the tryouts will be like this: every participant will be pitched against a regular, and as long as you can manage to return five out of seven balls from your opponent, you'll stand a higher chance to be enrolled into our team. We've enlisted the help of both Ryuusaki-sensei and Tezuka buchou from the guys' tennis team, and the three of us will be looking out for the potential in you all. So even if you do not manage to return at least five balls, don't be discouraged as you might still stand a chance of being accepted. With that said, the first round of participants will be …."

--

After hearing the short introduction from Fueki-buchou, Yumi and Rie proceed to do some light warm-ups by the fence while watching the first round of participants. "Tezuka-san ah? The ones he picks out must either be really good or have lots of potential. I hope he doesn't walk round the courts while it's our turn, his stare is quite intimidating you know?" Rie understand to some extent what Yumi has just said, even though Tezuka wears glasses, but when he is focused on something, there's just this pointed-ness in his stare that can be a little scary. But that's just some of the time, mainly, his gaze is just neutral. "Hey Yumi, check that out, that guy seems to be doing gymnastics in the air!"Rie points out this guy with red-hair, who is currently air-bound in the court opposite the girls'. "Woah…he's really good. Did you see that flip? Oh oh, and that spin in the air! Sugoi…"

"Hey girls, that's Eiji-san you're looking at. Cool aye? He's one of the regulars too." Without their noticing or maybe the two were just too engrossed in the show, Akino manages to slide up behind them. Continuing, Akino gives a brief run-through about the other male players on the adjacent courts, "Eiji-san's partner is called Oishi, and together they are known as the Golden Pair, while Eiji-san is skilled in acrobatic tennis, Oishi balances their tennis play and he is known for his famous Moon Volley shot."

Pointing at the two other players against them, she remarks on their opponents, "That's Taka-san and Fuji-san. Taka-san is known for his power play and please don't get near him when he's holding a tennis racquet, he goes berserk and starts screaming weird things in English. Oh, and Fuji-san is our resident prodigy. Most people term him as a natural tensai; he came up with his own three counters, signature shots, and is known for being able to manipulate his opponents into hitting the shots he wants. You girls should really watch him play up-close, he has very graceful movements on court."

As Akino goes on to describe the other players like Momoshiro and Inui, she smirks inwardly at how Yumi stopped listening whole-heartedly right from the start after being introduced to the red-haired tennis regular, and how Rie is the second to stop listening attentively after hearing about the tensai. 'Not surprising really, those two tennis players are pretty attractive, and they are still currently single…'

"Oy girls, are you both even listening to me, or are you both just ogling at the guys?" Akino just couldn't resist teasing the two as they are hardly ever that interested in the opposite sex before. Yumi is generally somewhat more inclined towards the male-type of personality, whereas for Rie, she just prefers hanging out around girls in general and doesn't seem at all interested in getting attached anytime soon. So really, this is something new.

--

"Are you serious Akino? Us ogling at guys? We're just looking at their playing styles, you know, maybe we can learn something about playing tennis before our turn arrives." Rie smirks at Akino, knowing how she knows they aren't the type to ogle at guys. "Speaking of which, I think that tennis regular, what's her name, Reika-san is it? She's signaling for us to go over now." Yumi informs the other two about the girl on the tennis courts. Akino turns and sees who Yumi is talking about, "Oh, which means the second round has started; go on, it's your turn now. All the best to you both okay? And no pressure, just try your best! I'll meet up with you girls after I play against the other participants okay?" Saying their goodbyes, the three then start to go off in their separate ways and proceed to the courts where they are each expected to play next.

As they reach the courts, Reika fuku-buchou starts to brief the second round of the participants again, and begins telling them who their opponents are. They are six of them in this round, as per regulated, and Yumi finds out that her opponent is Yajima Hiroko, a second year, while Rie will be playing against a third year called Oshidari Hinako. After wishing Rie luck, Yumi goes off in the direction of Court A while Rie moves off to find Court C. It's a good thing the both of them did some warm-ups after the introduction by Fueki-buchou, as when Rie stand on the court, she realizes that what is coming next will not be easy, and if they had not done the warm-ups, they will probably end up suffering from cramps after the game.

After shaking hands with her opponent, Rie decides to move back to a spot near the baseline on her side and prepares to receive the serve of Oshidari-san. Even as she bends her knees slightly and grips her racquet a little tighter in anticipation, she can feel the anxiety rising up in her. 'What if I make a spectacle of myself? I mean there's like so many people watching, and goodness, I'm up against a 3rd year regular! What are the chances I'll be able to return five balls? Probably less than 50%...'as she sees Oshidari-san preparing to serve, she immediately tries to squash all those negative thoughts to the back of her mind and just to concentrate on the game.

--

She misses the first serve. She tried swinging her racquet, but it just didn't make contact with the ball. The second time, she manages to hit the ball back, but she tilted the racquet at the wrong angle and the ball flew way out of the court. She finally manages to start a relay with Oshidari-san's third serve, a weak lob of the tennis ball, but a return nonetheless. Rie succeeds in securing three returns in the relay. But on the fourth serve, she misjudges the strength behind her swing and hence isn't able to return the ball within the inner court opposite her.

As the game passes, she is increasingly more conscious of the gaze of the spectators and she feels she is wasting the time and effort of others by not being able to play her best. All the running around is also causing her to breathe erratically and with every heave of her chest, she feels the almost suffocating heat constraining her breaths. She tries to try her best, but that fails as well as she is too distracted to manage in returning the fifth and sixth serve. Only at the last serve does she manages to hit a semi-decent return ball, but ultimately fails to return another when her opponent hits it back with a slice of the ball.

Rie refrains from sighing and as she wipes the perspiration on her forehead with the back of her left hand, she walks up shakily to the net, shaking Oshidari-san's hand, as is the custom in tennis. "Somewhat decent returns there, you can improve on the accuracy of your shots and definitely try to control the strength behind your swings and the angle of your racquet." Rie nods her head at Oshidari-san's comments, smiles weakly in return, and as she prepares to leave the court, one last comment makes her stop in her tracks. "Also, try not to be so aware of what the others are doing. You need to be fully involved in the game. Concentration is the key."

Rie turns back, and thanks her, knowing that what the regular said is exactly what she had problems with. Oh well, the next time then, the game is already over. Perhaps, she should either consider going back to one of her previous CCAs or maybe start to realize that her fate really is with the Curling Club.

--

Resting her racquet lightly on her right shoulder, she sees Yumi already at the original spot where they had the briefing. Akino is there too as well, it looks like they finished their games pretty quickly. "Hey girls, how was it?" Yumi gives a surprised grin and proceeds to tell Rie that she managed to secure a spot on the team by returning six balls and Reika fuku-buchou just confirmed her place a while ago. The person Akino played against wasn't so lucky though, she had the same result as Rie. Four return balls out of seven. "Well, there's always the next time! Don't be disheartened, we'll find another CCA for you dear."Akino tries to cheer Rie up, knowing that Rie feels a little down at not being able to perform her best just now. But just as Rie is about to reply, two things happen simultaneously. A shout of "Watch out!" is heard, then the slam of a ball into a racquet.

Silence. Then shouts of "Did you see that?!", "Rie! What did you just do?!", and "She didn't even look at the ball!" start to ring out and Rie just looks on bewildered at what just happened. She looks at Yumi for some answers. "Rie, a ball came flying towards us, and you just sliced the ball with your racquet without even turning back, and the ball went back into the nearest court from where it came from!" As the people around her look on in amazement, Rie could only gape and ask, "Are you sure? Did I really do that? Honestly, I didn't even feel my arm moving!" Before Akino could even assure her of the reality, someone else speaks up, "Yuki-san is it? Can I have a word with you?" Fueki-buchou. 'Darn, am I in trouble or what?' Rie hopes that it isn't anything serious and she didn't just commit a mistake or wrong-doing.

After being pulled away from the crowd by Fueki-buchou, she listens to Fueki-buchou telling her that she saw Rie's unexpected return and after talking about it with Oshidari-san, decides to give Rie another chance to play. "But I couldn't even return five balls just now! I really think the return was just a fluke, a lucky shot really…" Fueki-buchou smiles at her and re-assures her that they just want to test out something. "We hope you'll agree to play a game with me. Just some relays. But there's a special condition." At Rie's prompting, Fueki-buchou informs her of the condition. "You have to play with your eyes blindfolded."

"What? Are you kidding?! Sorry, that came out a little too harsh. But are you all serious? I mean I can't even play properly with both my eyes wide open, much less closed!" Rie looks on dumbfounded at what the other girl has just said. Fueki-buchou tries to answer by saying, "We realize that your problem lies in your acute awareness of things happening around you. For instance, you are very conscious of the people watching you. By blindfolding you, your sense of perception is narrowed, and by not relying on your sense of sight, you will hence be able to focus and direct your concentration to the game by using the rest of your senses. I know it may sound crazy to you, but we have seen players who play better without looking with their eyes." After the buchou's explanation, Rie decided to just take a risk of looking like a fool and try the theory out. Since she is already here, she might as well try it right?

And so with the guidance of Fueki-buchou, they walk back to the main courts and a single piece of white cloth is used to cover Rie's eyes. While being blindfolded, Rie tries hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation; she just hopes that she'll at least be able to return one shot from the buchou. 'Seriously, how much worse can this get? I thought it was crazy playing against a 3rd year regular, now I get singled out to play against the _buchou_ herself. And blindfolded too! Goodness, what a first day in school...Well, at least it's interesting…' After being led to a spot on the court, she hears Fueki-buchou's words of encouragement, "Just relax. Tune out your surroundings. Don't worry about the people. It's just you and me, playing tennis."

Rie takes a few deep breaths and she finds herself starting to relax and she settles into a more comfortable position to play. Fueki-buchou serves, and Rie misses the shot. She hears the ball coming, and is somewhat able to know which direction it will end up in, but her limbs seem to be so much slower in responding. "Don't think about it. Just react as your body tells you to. Don't anticipate the shots, hit them as they come."Rie prepares herself again after Fueki-buchou reminds her again over the court. 'Okay, hit the balls as they come. Respond immediately.'

Her opponent serves yet again, this time round, Rie swings her racquet instantaneously, and so the relay begins. Her sense of hearing and touch are heightened and somehow her body knows exactly where the ball will land, and she hits the ball directly in the centre, slices the ball on her left, smashes the ball, returns the ball from her right as smoothly as in the way they arrived. She doesn't allow her mind to think, she just lets her body move on an almost auto-pilot mode. It feels like she's dancing with her opponent and all she sees is the blank, white space before her, her steps moving in time with the music in her mind.

Her opponent ends the game with a smash, and Rie stops in the middle on the court, trying to understand what she just experienced. It felt like she was in a realm of her own with her opponent, and nothing else mattered, just the two of them and the game. Rie removes her blindfold tentatively and looks up, opening her eyes slowly to adjust to the bright sunlight. She looks across the net and sees a wide smile on Fueki-buchou's face. "Yuki-san, I'm not sure if you felt that, but the game just now was brilliant for a newcomer like you. I have only managed to see a few people who can play like that; who can move like that on court. So if you're still interested, the tennis team would be more than willing to help you release your full potential for the game." Rie is stunned for a moment, but after which, reaches over to hold Fueki-buchou's hand excitedly, and exclaiming, "Really? Thank you so much for the opportunity! Ah, thank Kami-sama!" It feels like she has just discovered a lost dream and is now given the chance to achieve it.

--

As Rie tries again to comprehend how she managed to play without seeing, she realizes that is precisely the feature of Fuji-san which captured her. She's seen him around in school plenty of times, enough to know that most of the time, his eyes are closed. It's as if he knows he doesn't need to see the world physically in order to take in the world as it really is. It's as if his closed eyelids hide this secret of contentment at not needing to see the looks of other people; not needing to rely on the approval of others. And that grace he exhibits on court captivated Rie in an indescribable way, it's almost similar to what she felt in her second game, it's like moving to an unseen music. Fuji-san is really quite an intriguing person, in fact all the tennis regulars are.

After the realization, Rie is glad she has the opportunity to get to know the compelling characters of the people who make up the tennis team. But as they both walk back to the fence, the clapping and shouting of the crowd almost over-whelms Rie. And yet, as she sees the smiles on the faces of her friends, she knows that she will have no fears embarking on this new part of her journey in school and in her life. Because as long as she has the support of her close ones, as long as they are together, she knows they will be able to overcome everything.

* * *

Foofaraw: excessive or flashy ornamentation; _also_, a fuss over a trivial matter. (Y)

Inscrutable: difficult to fathom or understand. (R)

Maunder: to talk or wander aimlessly. (Y)

Vicissitude: a change in condition or fortune.(Y)

Amity: friendship; friendly relations.(R)

Ebullient: high-spirited.(Y)

Multifarious: having great diversity or variety.(R)

Raillery: good-humored banter or teasing repartee.(Y)

Propound: to put forward for consideration.(R)

Hobson's choice: a choice without an alternative.(R)

Beatific: bestowing bliss, blessings, happiness, or the like.

Quixotic: extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable or impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

Plaintive: expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful.


	5. These times

Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything from Prince of Tennis.

A/N: Sorry people, for the long wait! It's been quite tough coming up with this new chapter, hit a minor writer's block, and really, I have never in my life sat down day after day, writing a story. This is quite an achievement for me really, I have a tendency to not follow through with what I write, but somehow, I wanted to stick with this story of mine. Pardon me for the mistakes made in the following chapter, and as usual, reviews will be very much appreciated:)

And specially to Yorukifon: Thanks for the review, it encouraged me while I was writing=)

And so, I present to you _These times;_ a chapter I have struggled with and yet am pleased with,

* * *

_Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow. To convince them, you must yourself believe._

- Winston Churchill.

* * *

With the arrival of spring, new expectations are set, new pictures are developed. A start of a new year in school and a start of a new race in which the new teams are getting ready to run in. There are new players, new settings, and new goals now. And yet, the familiar sounds reverberate around the tennis courts- of people running, their steps in time with the beat of fluorescent green balls bouncing off racquets and court floors. Tennis courts, players set in blue and white uniforms, along with green and white ones, against the bright cerulean sky, with the smooth, cool wind blowing, leaving behind a light trail of spring leaves and flower petals in its path.

Life seems to be looking up, and as the weeks go by, as our tennis players start to get to know each other more, the pictures swirl together to form a collage of new faces and old ones, a mixture of school and tennis, snippets of people coming in and going out; friendships forged and maintained, routines set up and accepted, indeed, the different pieces of the jigsaw puzzle are starting to come together to form a greater picture. But for now, we'll just have to settle for the bits here and there, just a little of what has been happening so far in the lives of our tennis players.

--

A month has passed since the fateful day of the tennis tryouts; school has been going about in an almost mad swirl of school work, food, sleep, and tennis. Tennis practice for regulars and non-regulars are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and per custom, due to the many upcoming tennis tournaments in the school year, Tuesdays and Thursdays are reserved for extra bonding activities between the tennis regulars. For the previous years, the male and female tennis teams had their own tennis schedules and training dates, but as the coach for the female team had an early retirement at the end of last year, the school decided to arrange for Ryuusaki-sensei to take over the coaching for both teams until a replacement can be found.

After the initial tennis tryouts, both teams held their usual ranking matches in order to determine the regulars for the next tennis tournament, for the guys' team, Inui ended up being the team's manager, and Kawamura Takashi became the reserve player for this first round. As for the girls, Misako buchou and Reika fuku-buchou decided to place Yumi in a permanent role of the team's manager as this is her secondary CCA, so not only does she get to practice tennis as a team member, she is also in charge of the training schedules for the team. After much practice and training, Rie played to her best in the ranking matches and was given a regular spot as a reserve player after beating Hagumi Rika, a previous regular.

The guys' tennis team also had an unexpected turn in a freshman securing a Regular spot in the first ranking matches. News about the new player- Echizen Ryoma spread around the school; how he managed to beat three male tennis regulars in three separate one-set matches. Even though freshmen are usually not considered to be in the regulars' team, somehow Tezuka-buchou decided to include his name in the ranking matches, and it has proven to be a risk well taken. It looks like the school's tennis team as a whole is heading to reach a breakthrough in their level of tennis.

And so, we zoom in on a small snippet of the picture collage to find out what usually happens on training days…

--

"Buchouuu….Can we please not have the thirty laps? The second-years just had a major Math test, and when your brains are semi-zonked out, your legs can't work either. And Misako-buchou, you wouldn't want us to collapse after a second trauma like the thirty laps, would you?" Yajima Hiroko, a known to be hyper second year regular looks up with pleading eyes, hoping that the female buchou will spare them today and reduce the running laps. Before Misako-buchou can reply though, a third year regular by the name of Oshidari Hinako walks up to stand beside the buchou.

"What's this? A revolt by the female tennis regulars? Or is it someone whining again so as to try to reduce the amount of running laps?" Even though Hinako-san is Hiroko-san's doubles partner, but when it comes to tuning out the latter's whines and complaints, the former is quite merciless. Well, I guess that's why they work well, if one party just gives in all the time, the doubles pair would be quite dysfunctional, won't it? "Really Hiroko, how many times have you tried this? What makes you think I'll give in this time round?" With a smile on her lips, Misako-buchou looks at one of her best doubles players and tries not to laugh at the crest-fallen look on her junior's face.

"Oh well, it's worth a try! I mean, you never know when Misako-buchou will suddenly decide to lighten our running laps right?" Cheering up almost immediately, Hiroko looks over at her usual partner-in-crime to see her sitting at the nearby benches with an almost dazed look on her face. "Oy! Rie-senpai! What are you doing there? You're supposed to be here with me as usual right?"

"Don't mind her Hiroko; Rie's been like that ever since our World History test just now. I think she's still hung up on trying to figure out what's the exact date when the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Tricky question really, I still can't believe Akisada-sensei actually thought of setting that as the last question."Yumi joins the group of female players doing some light warm-ups near the benches before their run.

Four different voices speak up almost simultaneously, "Wasn't it on the 11th of November 1918?", "I think if I remembered correctly, it should be on the 28th of July 1919", "I thought it was on the 28th of June 1918?, and "I'm quite sure it's the 27th of June 1919". The four third-years gathered there looked at one another in surprise and started to grin at how everyone's answer turned out to be different. "Well, it's a good thing none of us are thinking of becoming World History majors. Anyway, I'm quite sure either Reika-san or Oshidari-san's answer is right. Yumi, you left the question blank I suppose?"Akino takes an accurate guess as to why Yumi didn't contribute her answer to the pile. "Well…I don't know the answer, so no point wasting time on it right?"

--

"So that's the reason why one of my newest players is sitting down there looking like the world has just ended?"Rie seems not to have heard her buchou's words, sitting there completely immersed in her contemplative mode. "Alright girls, get started on your laps. Come on, put your math and history tests behind you, this is practice time!"

"Chotto Matte! Buchou, give me five minutes. I'll catch up with the rest. Gomen!"Misako-buchou looks at the way Rie starts to run determinedly towards the adjacent courts and decides to just let her do what she needs to do to clear the distraction. "The rest of you, get started first!"

"Hai!"

Not surprisingly, Rie runs towards her classmate who's known for almost perfect scripts for all the History tests and exams they've had over the years, well almost perfect scripts for almost every other subject as well, but that's another story. "Tezuka-san, I'm sorry to interrupt you during practice, but can you please tell me the answer for the last question of our World History test? I've given up trying to find the answer already! I searched the whole textbook, the notes, but I just cannot find the answer…"Rie looks up with an almost morose look in her eyes, and as she takes a cautious breath, she seems almost afraid of hearing Tezuka's answer.

"28th of June 1919."

--

Darn. She was so close. She just got the month wrong. That's the case when you search for answers and end up having to get it from others. This sense of wanting to know, and yet not quite wanting to have to receive it from others instead of getting it on one's own effort. Ah well, at least she's got that over and done with. It's time to start running before her buchou begins to scream at her to get going. Just as she turns to start her laps, she calls out a sincere "Arigatou!" before moving off.

It was a slight twitch at the right corner of the mouth. If Fuji hadn't been looking for a sign like that on purpose, he might have just missed it. Even if he is standing right beside Tezuka, the emotions that are revealed by the stern-looking tennis captain are just that hard to capture. This is getting interesting. Fuji remembers the girl who came up to ask Tezuka a question. She is a classmate of the captain, for three years running, and apparently she caused quite a commotion a while ago with her playing a game against her current buchou while blindfolded.

Fuji didn't have much of a chance to talk more with the girl, but incidentally, Tezuka seems to have had plenty more opportunities to interact with the said female tennis player. It was quite an interesting reaction really. A twitch at a corner of the mouth isn't very much to begin with, but Fuji knows that for Tezuka, it means that the commonly taken to be a stoic buchou was actually on the verge of smiling, or being amused at what just happened, and for Tezuka to be amused so easily, is something quite rare indeed. 'Possibility, Possibility…' the smile on Fuji's face widens.

--

Yuki Rie. A brunette with honey-blonde highlights. She has relatively long hair which ends just slightly above the shoulders. A generally optimistic and intelligent student, though it's quite hard to describe her personality in just a few words. If he had to choose just one word, the word would probably be Light-hearted. There's just something different about her, this kind of child-likeness, where she seems to have this joy within her.

She's serious when doing things and about relationships, but when it comes to things many people worry over about, she's just refreshingly light-hearted about them. It's like a simple trust she carries with her, as if she truly believes in the goodness of life, and in the best of people around her. Oh, she has had her down days, and he has seen her upset before, but in general, if he has to picture her face, the first thing he sees will most likely be her smile. The right side of his lips lifts up slightly. 'She never fails to surprise people, does she?'As he turns back to watch his teammates practicing in their matches, he makes a note to himself to be more aware of Fuji for the next few weeks, for he thought he just saw Fuji flash one of his mischievous smiles. 'Yudan sezu ni ikō.'

--

"Breathe in, breathe out. One more step, just one more step."Rie tries to motivate herself for the last two laps, only to have her fave junior wear down the motivation the very next moment. "Rie-senpai…I can't do it anymore…my legs are killing me and my lungs feel like they are on fire!"Rie looks to her left to see Hiroko covered in perspiration and running in this weird way, which supposedly helps to conserve energy, according to those out-of-the-world theories of hers. "Come on Hiroko, we'll do this together, I'll treat you to a deluxe chocolate shake after practice alright, to cool those poor lungs of yours", Rie slings her left arm over her junior and moves to bring them both forward at a faster pace while grinning unreservedly at her kouhai.

"Honestly Rie, you spoil her too much. No wonder she has been pestering me about those shakes…"At the mention of the chocolate shakes, Hinako turns around and gives a reprimanding look at both her teammates. "You owe me one of those shakes Hiroko claims is the best thing ever too yeah." With that, Oshidari Hinoko increases her pace and smirks, knowing how her doubles partner will probably end up laughing at the shocked face of Rie-san.

'Well, it's always good to tease others', and only when Hinoko knows that she is at a safe enough distance, then she calls out to the two again, "and don't forget the last one to finish the laps will have to drink that Inui guy's latest concoction! I heard the latest news that now, even Kaidoh throws up after drinking it…""What?? Why didn't you tell us earlier! Darn, I think I hear the rest catching up. Let's hurry!"With that, Rie clutches her kouhai's arm and the two of them start sprinting madly, trying to over-take Hinoko who is currently in the lead.

--

In the end, all of them end up in a tangled mess of limbs and heads. Misako buchou never fails to be amazed at how her players can end up finishing their laps at exactly the same moment each time round. As she sees how most of her players' arms are linked together as they slump over the benches, she speculates, 'The reason why they always end up together at the last moment is probably cause they start grabbing each other along the way and refusing to let the others out of their arms' reach.' Such unity portrayed indeed, albeit in a warped sense.

She heard it's the same thing with the guys when they run. 'Or perhaps it has something to do with tennis.' Upon looking at the almost disappointed look on the face of Inui Sadaharu though, the female buchou realizes that there is a deeper meaning to why the tennis players always end up being first together in their laps. 'It's to avoid drinking that vile stuff together. Apparently, it's the only way to avoid it on a whole…'Well, as long as the stamina of her team improves, and she never has to taste the drinks, then she is fine with it as well.

"Alright girls, I'm glad you all don't have to drink the vi- very appealing drink that Inui has prepared for you...we'll be having our practice matches now. Yumi will tell you all who you're playing against later."Misako changes her choice of words hurriedly after seeing Inui glancing their way, with the steaming pitcher of drink still in his hand. "Come on, hydrate yourselves and let's get the matches started. Rie, you're still with me today. We're going to work more on training you to be a utility player. There is a high chance the team will need you to be able to play both singles and doubles well."

--

For today, the Halcyon Pair of Hinako and Hiroko are pitched against Mayuko Seika and Natsuki Kyoko, both of whom are known also for their chemistry on court. Though the former pair is still the more or less permanent doubles pair, Misako buchou, Reika fuku-buchou and Ryuusaki-sensei all agree on training and developing the latter two second-years to be the team's second permanent doubles pair. Right now, along with Seika and Kyoko, Akino is also part of the group who form the players for the second doubles. And Misako buchou is also trying to release the potential of Rie to be good at both singles and doubles play.

Naturally, Rie plays a defensive style, but she has what it takes to be an all-court player too. As for the other female players, Misako buchou is naturally an all rounder who's also well known for being one of the few female tennis players in their district to be able to activate _Muga no Kyōchi. _Being a tennis prodigy since her childhood, it isn't surprising that she has been playing tennis even before she began learning how to run properly.

For Reika fuku-buchou, she plays to her defensive baseliner or counter-puncher side, simply because she's good at returning almost all kinds of shots as she is able to analyze shots quickly and find out the flaws in the shots. Being calm and collected most of the time helps in her being able to spot the weaknesses of her opponents especially in long rallies, Reika's perseverance is also a key in allowing her to frustrate her opponents by determining to return all shots.

As for the Halcyon Pair, Hinako is the defensive baseliner whereas Hiroko is the offensive baseliner. Hinako complements Hiroko very well as Hiroko tends to lose her cool easily in games where her opponents are decidedly defensive and it tends to wear Hiroko out as she gets fired up very easily and will try to get all the shots, and this leads to her being prone to errors and mistakes. Hence, Hinako balances the shots between the two, and besides being a good defensive baseliner, Hinako doubles up to be a good serve-and-volleyer. Because of her extensive physical and mental stamina, Hinako plays her agility to the best by being able to cover the court easily, while leaving Hiroko to win most of their service games and hitting winners from the back of the court.

Mayuko Seika is the team's best serve-and volleyer, she plays a very good net game and is working to create her own special net moves. Natsuki Kyoko plays a defensive baseliner style as well, and usually covers the shots aimed at the baseline of the court. Hence, for this pair, their common doubles strategy is the up-and-back strategy. Tetsuya Akino is known to be a most aggressive baseliner. She has a very acute ability to read the game quickly and hence is able to predict the coming shots, and hence hit returns which are difficult to get for her opponents. Akino is paired up with Rie today, against Misako buchou and Reika fuku-buchou. By pairing Rie up with Akino whom she is close to, will be a good opportunity to develop both Rie and Akino's skills as doubles players.

--

"Akino and Rie, from now on, I want you both to eat, talk, walk, be with each other, and basically breathe as much of the same air as possible together. As a doubles pair, it is first very important to build up the chemistry between you two, and to make sure you are comfortable with each other. There has got to be a lot of trust and understanding between you two. I need you both to come to a stage when you are able to complete each other's sentence without prompting, be able to know what the other is going to do next, and I need you both to start matching your shots with each other, try to complement your partner and always avoid clashes."After the short talk, Misako buchou proceeds to demonstrate with Reika fuku-buchou the basic techniques of doubles play and other more strategic formations for doubles.

And so after the training, all you can see is a bunch of girls sitting, slumping, and half-lying around the benches and the water cooler area. Training today was that tough. "Seika, help me to get my water bottle will you? I can't seem to move my legs…"Kyoko beseeches her teammate while massaging her poor legs, trying to improve the circulation of blood in her limbs. Seika reaches over the bench to grab a green bottle and throws it over to her current doubles partner, who catches the bottle without even looking up. "Now that's what I want you both to achieve", upon seeing the short display of team work between the pair, Misako buchou directs her remark to both Akino and Rie on what it means to be so familiar with each other that you can predict each other's movement without any difficulty.

"It takes time, but I'm sure you two can do it". Clapping her hands together, she motions for the rest to start moving towards the showers, "Alright, thanks girls for the good practice and hard work, come on now, hit the showers and go home to rest. I'll see you all tomorrow for the bonding activity Yumi has prepared for us." Even the thought of rest can't seem to motivate the players; it seems that only a good shake can do it.

"Hey girls, do you all want to go for some shakes later? I'm giving Hiroko here a treat. Are you all up for it?" Smiling as she pulls her kouhai up with her, she sees Hinako smirking and knows for sure she's coming along for the treat too. "Buchou, what about you?" It turns out that Misako buchou has to attend a meeting with Ryuusaki-sensei and Tezuka buchou to discuss about the line-up for the Prefectural Tournament. Reika fuku-buchou has to finish up her project; Seika and Kyoko still have to go home to complete their school work. So in the end, it's just Rie, Hiroko, Hinako, Akino and Yumi who are the ones available for a good shake.

--

So after hitting the showers, the team said their goodbyes and parted in different ways. But when Rie's group reached the school gate, they saw Fuji walking out at the same time. "Hey Fuji-senpai! What are you doing here?"Hiroko runs up excitedly to her senior and asks him where the rest of the guys are. "Oh, Taka-san had to help his father out at their sushi shop, Oishi had some school work to complete, Kaidoh went home, Inui said he wanted to conduct some experiments in the chemistry lab, Tezuka went for a meeting and Eiji said he'll be taking Momo and Echizen for a treat at the burger joint."

Still with his ever-present smile on his face, Fuji patiently answers Hiroko's question, stating also why he didn't care much for burgers today and so didn't accompany Eiji and the rest. "In that case, do you want to come with us for some shakes instead? I swear the shop we're going to has the best chocolate shakes ever! Please?"Not one to turn down an invitation, and especially not one from a kawaii kouhai, Fuji agrees, thinking that this is an unexpected opportunity to try and gather more information on the girls, especially the brunette who seems able to charm Tezuka quite easily without them both knowing it. 'My plan seems to be working well even without much effort on my part…'

--

On the walk to the shop called simply, "Mayumi's Shakes", the six of them started talking about the upcoming Prefectural Tournament, who they think they will be up against first and how the girls and the guys' teams are faring respectively. After which, the conversations started to split up, and the group started to stray off to more random topics of conversation in their smaller groups. Seeing this opportunity, Fuji turns to his right and begins his questioning in a subtle but direct manner.

"So Rie-san, how do you find tennis? You've just joined the team am I right?"Rie looks up in surprise at his question; she didn't quite expect a question to be directed at her from the tensai himself. After getting over the shock quickly, she smiles and says that "Tennis has really been very fun. I mean I didn't realize there was so much going on in just what seemed at first to be a simple sport. And the team's been great." Looking at her fellow teammates with her, she just can't help but be thankful at how quickly they adapted to each other and how easy it was to fit in. Not noticing the slight widening of her companion's smile, Rie is equally surprised at his next question. "Say Rie-san, you've been classmates with Tezuka for the past two years and now a third year running, what do you think of him as a person?"

She raises her right eyebrow at the unexpected question, and ponders if it's a trap. 'Nah, Fuji-san isn't one who will set traps for people.' Thinking on the question, she tries to answer him in what she has encountered over the years, and in all sincerity what she thinks of her classmate. "Well, Fuji-san, Tezuka's quite difficult to describe actually. I remember thinking once that he's like the game that he loves. Difficult to grasp at first, but just like the game, he becomes increasingly interesting once you get to know him. Personally, he reminds me of an eagle. He's never contented with remaining where he is; he's always striving for greater heights, encouraging the ones around him to do so too, and he flies the best and is the most carefree when flying through the ultimate altitudes. To him, there is no pinnacle; there is no end to potential. And honestly, the thing I admire most about him is the amount of belief he has in his teammates, which is you all, and the extent of his passion in whatever he does, especially tennis. I have no doubt that he will become one of the greatest tennis players the world will ever have the chance to see."

--

Upon looking at the almost wistful look upon the female third-year's face, Fuji feels a slight sudden sharpness in his chest. Frowning slightly, he contemplates the unknown feeling he felt just now; the strange indescribable pang. Thinking back on what Rie-san has just said of Tezuka, Fuji realizes that the reason he feels a slight dampening on his heart is this slight admiration of Tezuka; that there is someone who sees Tezuka as he is. Ever since their first year together, Fuji has always taken some comfort in the friendship between Tezuka and him.

He understands that the both of them are similar in a significant aspect of their lives; both of them do not reveal their feelings and emotions easily. Tezuka's stoic look evades all exhibition of emotions, and as for Fuji, his ever-present smile hides all other emotions of his. Tezuka blocks out feelings by remaining neutral about them; Fuji dismisses feelings by his mask which comes from the innate belief that emotions are not to be depended on, emotions to him is a sign of fallibility.

And Fuji never falls nor fails. When he first saw the almost innocent display of emotions on Rie-san's face, he very nearly turned away from her, for to him, the display of emotions itself is something he cannot comprehend. And this is also the reason why he has never failed to be amazed by his friendship with Eiji. He guesses it's probably the work of time; he has grown accustomed to the over-abundance of feelings in his friend, and has learned to accept it and even like it. But for people whom he is not close to, he is unable to handle it. That is probably why he always tries to absent himself from school on Valentine's Day, all the confessions from the girls only serve to produce an opposite effect in him and cause him to lose the collected self he prides himself on.

--

And yet somehow, as he sees the smile on Rie-san's face next, something stirs within him, but somehow, he feels things are under control again, he just needs to put up his mask once more. Resuming his normal smile, he looks at Rie, and pretends nothing's wrong. "Are you okay Fuji-san? Your frown lines are visible…"Upon her remark, Fuji almost drops his mask. 'What frown lines is she talking about? My smile is perfect as usual…'and while Fuji is thinking about it, Rie raises her right hand and reaches over to smoothen the area above Fuji's left eye. "When something is troubling you, a few very fine lines unconsciously appear here, even though your smile says otherwise." Just as she finishes smoothing over the lines, she shifts her gaze to his face proper, only to find herself staring into the darkest and yet the most transparent shade of blue orbs.

There seems to be a slight resemblance of surprise and a sense of gratitude in those piercing eyes of his. But before she is able to reflect on them further, Hiroko backtracks over to them both, and grabs Fuji by his left arm and starts to drag him towards the shop, "Hurry senpais! I need my shake!" As Fuji starts to jog after Hiroko, on an unexplainable impulse, he turns behind slightly to reach out to hold Rie's left hand. With a quick smile, he lightly tugs on her hand to signal to her to follow them. She complies, and as they start to jog lightly over to the shop, Fuji and Rie both realized something somewhat extraordinary. When Fuji smiled at Rie while holding her hand, his eyes were open. And they both know clearly why it was so extraordinary, because Fuji never smiles with his eyes open.

--

As they stood in line to purchase their drinks, Fuji realizes that the reason why he couldn't stay offended at Rie's display of feelings is because when he thought that no one has ever noticed him for who he really is, she did. And just as she was able to describe Tezuka with accuracy, for Fuji, she seems to be able to understand him in ways others can't too. Fuji isn't a tensai just because he is, he knows clearly that people pin the label on him because they can't quite comprehend him, for they see only what he allows and chooses for them to see. He has always held on to the notion that perhaps, no one will ever be able to differentiate between what seems to be him, and what is truly him. And yet somehow, someone has just shaken that belief of his.

And for once, he wants to believe that perhaps, he may not be that hard to understand after all. And that could be why he felt this impelling want to hold on to it, and that's why he reached over to hold her hand lightly in his. For once, he wants to be known. And perhaps, in his surprise, and in thanks and hope, he chooses not to hide his smile to Rie-san behind his usually closed lids.

--

After settling down with six different flavored shakes, the group decides to extend their conversation back to school. Armed with her Chocolate Fudge deluxe shake, Hiroko is finally satisfied, and with a gleeful smile on her face looks over at her senpai-tachi to ask them how their third year of school is coming along. "I can tell how much you love the shake seriously…slow down! Or else you'll get a brain freeze in no time..."her doubles partner just can't help her incredulous tone after seeing how Hiroko seems to be _inhaling_ the shake rather than drinking it. "Anyway, have you all decided on your advanced studies subject? I'm still deciding between Japanese History and Geography…"Hinako sips on her White and Dark Chocolate shake while contemplating what her fellow third-years could have selected.

At the start of their third-year, their senseis actually made the announcement that starting from their year, they will be conducting advanced classes, and students will be able choose a particular subject they are interested and do well in to learn in the advanced classes. "Well, I've decided to have English as my subject for advanced studies. Takahi-sensei says I should make use of my proficiency in the language…so yup!" Yumi grins as Rie as she's the only one who knows that half of the time during English lessons, Yumi just smokes her way through. "I'm thinking of having advanced classes in Japanese Literature."Akino speaks up next, knowing that the rest knows her interest in the development of Japan as a whole, especially in practical areas like the literature the country is developing. "Ooh, does that mean none of us will be taking the same advanced class?" Yumi remarks, thinking that out of the five third-years here, at least two of them will be in the same advanced class.

"Well, Rie and Fuji-san still haven't answered…"Fuji looks over at Rie who is currently seated opposite him, one seat away. "Well, I'm not sure about Rie-san, but I'll be pursuing World Literature as my advanced subject. I'm quite into classics." At his smile, Rie looks up and starts to laugh, for she was already intent on following her interest in the same subject. "Well Yumi, it looks like at the end, two out of five of us here will be taking the same course. I'll be doing World Literature as well, Fuji-san."

Rie glances over in Fuji's direction, to see him with the usual smile once more. Honestly, she still doesn't quite know how what to make out of the situation just now. One moment she was helping Fuji to reduce the tension around his eyes, and the next moment, said person just held her hand while pulling her towards the eating area. The only consolation she feels she has is that at least she didn't behave like some of those fan-girls of his. Thank Kami-sama she didn't blush or giggle hysterically after discovering her hand in his slightly larger, mildly calloused hand, probably a result from his years of playing tennis. She was just a little surprised at the sudden action and what really puzzled her was that scene where his smile was actually reflected in those October eyes of his.

Over the years, she has only seen Fuji with his eyes wide open on a few countable occasions, and according to Eiji, Fuji never opens his eyes unless provoked by something or someone unpleasant, either that or he is really serious about something or someone, but usually not with a very favorable look in his dark, purplish blue eyes. So unless she was mistaken, that moment just now, is quite a significant one. But as she ponders about it over her Bittersweet Chocolate with Caramel shake , she decides to just wait to see what happens, she's just going to leave the ball in Fuji-san's court for now.

--

"Hey, that's my shake Hiroko!" Akino reaches over the table to try to retrieve back her kidnapped Dark Chocolate and Raspberry shake from the only second-year seated there with them. Not surprisingly, while the rest of them still have at least half their shakes left, Hiroko has already long finished hers, and now on the pretext of "trying out the rest's shakes", she is rapidly helping the rest to finish their shakes instead. The table bursts out into laughter as they realize that without them noticing, their once half-full tall cups have been reduced to just a small portion left, and all thanks to Hiroko.

"Come on Akino-senpai, look, the rest of my senpai-tachi didn't even say anything…and besides, it's a compliment you know, yours is the second nicest next to mine. Really!" With an exasperated sign, Akino sinks back into her seat and deems it a hopeless case in trying to get her shake back in one cup, or rather, what's left of it. "Rie, you're paying for my next shake..." Akino shifts her attention to the real culprit. "Huh, but why me? I didn't do anything…"Before Rie can start defending herself, Hinako and Yumi both chime in with, "You're the one who indulges Hiroko in all the treats and now she's hooked on the shakes!" Hiroko can only grin sheepishly at her fave senpai after hearing that, and Fuji can only sit there and smile at the hilarious antics the girls have come up with.

"Hey Fuji, don't just sit there…at least help me out! I'm your future fellow classmate remember?" Instead of helping, Fuji just shakes his head in mirth and lifts his hands in mock surrender, "A guy can't get involved in a girls' thing can he? It'll be rude…" Rie rolls her eyes at him, and yet she ends up smiling at how irresistible he looked with his floppy light brown hair covering part of his eyes while in that surrender pose.

--

"Hey guys, isn't that Eiji? Along with Momo and Echizen?" Yumi points out the three familiar looking guys who just entered the drinks shop. It's a tall guy with deep, dark red hair, with his iconic band-aid on his cheek, with an equally tall young guy with spiky black hair and purple eyes, along with a much shorter imp with his trademark Fila cap. Yup, it's them alright. "So, what are they doing here? I thought Fuji-san, you said they were at the burger joint?"

Yumi directs her question to the only guy seated with them. "Well, let's go find out ourselves shall we?" Wiping his lips with a serviette calmly, he proceeds to push back his chair and stands up, along with the rest of them doing the same. Before they can even call out to them, Eiji spots them first. "Fujiko! What are you doing here? Nya…with the girls too!" And with a "Hoi Hoi" next, he laces his arm with that of Yumi's, "Yumi-chan, do you like the shakes here too?" Without waiting for her answer, he already proceeds to start chattering in that non-stop way of his while pulling Yumi towards the counter to help him decide which drink to buy.

It's amusing to note how Eiji seems to be so fond of their fellow teammate. At first when the newcomers were introduced to the rest of the team, Akino and Rie both find it interesting that Eiji immediately started to introduce himself to Yumi whom he described as "kawaii", and from then on, he seems to be ultra-happy whenever he sees Yumi. Akino and Rie have both discussed with Yumi before about the possibility of Eiji liking her, but up till now, she still insists that it's just Eiji's character to single one of them to be super nice to. And she just happened to be the one Eiji chose to be around. Sure, Eiji is popular with everyone and likes everyone well enough, but sometimes he just particularly favors some people more than others; with no ill intentions behind it, people like Oishi, Fuji, Momo, Echizen, and now Yumi.

In the end, Eiji ended up with a Chocolate Mint shake, Momo ordered a super deluxe Chocolate Fudge Brownie shake, one for himself and another for Echizen. So armed with their takeaway shakes, the group then decides to start making their way home. "Eiji-senpai! How's your shake? Is it good?" Before Eiji can even reply, everyone else excluding those who just joined, shouted, "Don't even try it Hiroko! Eiji, Momo and Echizen, please hold on to your shakes." Rie walks up to her kouhai, and starts dragging her away from the temptation, "Alright Hiroko, I see how bad an influence I've been on you, from now on; we're going to have to go on shakes-free diet. NO more shakes for you until we deem it healthy enough for you to start drinking again."

Trying to ignore her kouhai's pleading, she thanks Kami-sama that Hiroko will probably forget about the craving once she exits the place. Rie just has to remember not to bring her to Mayumi's anytime soon, and to prevent her junior from visiting the shop on her own, and then Hiroko will be fine. And just as they were joking and talking with one another, who should they happen to meet, but two other familiar looking people. It was Tezuka buchou and Misako buchou.

--

Rie was one of the first to see them, and when she saw how nicely the two made up a picture, she unconsciously lets go slightly her grip on Hiroko's arm. It was really quite a picturesque scene; both their heads were turned towards each other in conversation, Misako buchou had a smile on her face, while Tezuka though deep in thought seemed to be quite comfortable where he was. Even the height difference looked really compatible, Misako buchou's frame made it possible for her to reach up to just slightly above Tezuka's shoulder, which to Rie, was just perfect.

Personality-wise, Tezuka and Misako buchou have to be the most suitable pair in the tennis team. Being studious and impeccable herself, Misako will not be intimidated by Tezuka's perfectionist side, and what Tezuka needs can be found in the caring nature and wit in Misako buchou. Honestly, it's as if they were meant to be, with their level of suitability being so high. At Hiroko's inquisitive glance, Rie shakes her head to clear the thoughts away, and tries to put the image of the two out of her mind. 'It's not the time to be envious. In fact, why bother to entertain envy? There are much more important things to care about.' With that, Rie begins to smile once more, and true to her nature, doesn't let the previous thoughts bother her anymore.

To her, she didn't feel the way she did because she was jealous of Misako buchou or anything, it's just a slight disappointment that she isn't able to understand Tezuka in the way her buchou seems able to. Rie guesses it's probably an aftermath of Fuji's earlier question. When Rie answered Fuji, she felt a slight happiness at being able to describe Tezuka in what seemed to her to be quite an accurate portrayal, and yet now, she feels that perhaps, it was just an illusion, for when she thinks about it, she never really was able to engage Tezuka in a proper conversation before. All the previous times when they talked, it was either about projects or school work. Rie could never get past the boundaries and be able to talk to Tezuka about his life apart from those impersonal aspects.

And for her, she knows that besides Fuji-san, and probably Oishi-san, Misako buchou is the only other person who is able to know Tezuka in aspects beyond that of school, and even that of tennis. And for Rie, it just sank in that maybe, for her, she may never have the chance to be allowed in to that small group of people close enough to Tezuka to make it possible for him to feel comfortable to share about himself more personally. It was quite an awful feeling actually. She didn't think she cared that much about being able to know more about Tezuka. But apparently, the stoic buchou holds more place in her heart and mind than she attributed to him. It's not as if she loves him or fancies him, it's just this inexpressible longing to want to be one of the few who are able to say for sure who Tezuka really is to her.

Not for the sake of boasting that she is close to Tezuka or that she has managed to break through the walls he has set up around him, but rather, just the contentment of being able to say that she _knows_ him, as he is. But now it seems that it's quite an impossible idea, and the desired result seems to be getting further and further away from her. Well, perhaps, it's time to let go, maybe she just isn't capable of breaking through to him. No matter how disheartening it is, Rie acknowledges the need to not let this issue hinder her too much. She's going to make a conscious effort to just let things flow. If it happens, then it's good. If it doesn't, then so be it. It's beyond her control now. If the other party doesn't make an effort, all the effort on her part won't make a difference.

--

Eiji and the rest started to wave energetically at the two captains. And when the two finally caught up to them, they found out that the two just like them were on their way home from school. So the whole group ended up going home together, mainly gathered in twos and threes; eleven of them in three lines. Just as they were about to split up into their individual ways, there was a loud ringing sound, and a loud shout of "coming through!" was heard before another shout of "watch out!" There was a commotion, people were pushed aside and some were almost knocked over when a group of cyclists rushed past the group of students on the path. Fortunately, from what Rie could see, none of them were hurt; some were shaken, but generally, none of them fell from the slight collision.

As she raises her head, she sees Tezuka right next to Misako buchou, asking her if she was alright, as she was one of the few who were in the direct path of the inconsiderate cyclists. "Misako-san, are you alright? Did they hit you?" He didn't show much emotion, but as Rie looked at him, she knows the slight tensing of his shoulders indicated otherwise. Only when he was stressed out about something or particularly concerned about something, then would his shoulders start to tense a little. Hence, to Rie, his concern over Misako buchou was evident. Besides, he even called her by her given name.

In all their two and a quarter years together as classmates, Tezuka has never called Rie by her given name. Till now, she's still Yuki-san to him. And that's the reason why she's taken to calling the guys by their family names as well, except Eiji who insisted on just Eiji, she calls the rest of the guys by their family names because she can only call Tezuka by his own family name, it's the only way he won't feel awkward, and if Rie could help it, then she'll do anything in her power to not risk the balance they seemed to have in their shaky friendship. Well, for now, what matters is that Misako buchou is alright.

--

"Rie, are you okay? You're not hurt are you? You look a little shaken…"Rie turns around fully to meet the concerned eyes of Yumi, "I'm fine, you pulled me away just in time. Thanks Yumi." Yumi didn't quite catch the look Rie had on her face when looking at their buchou, but she decides to put it aside as concern over their buchou, even though she's quite sure it's something else as well. Though Yumi and the rest didn't catch the look on Rie's face, someone else did. And it was none other than the perceptive Fuji. He had wanted to check to see if Rie and the other girls were fine, and he was just about to ask about them when he saw Rie looking in the other direction.

And that was when he witnessed this unusual look on the girl's face. It reminded him of something close to him. It was only when he looked at what or rather who she was staring at, did it strike him. The look on her face mirrored that of what he knew was on his own face when he felt the indescribable feeling in his chest earlier during their conversation. And somehow, Fuji seems to have an inkling of what seems to be troubling Rie. As he sees how she turns round to face Yumi with one of her usual smiles, Fuji feels this strange tightening in his chest again, this time round, he knows exactly why. 'She's doing the same thing as I did just now. She's putting on a smile to try to hide the other feelings; she's pretending that everything is fine.' And yet, Fuji knows that everything's not alright, and she is far from being fine. But as he looks back at Tezuka leaning over to ask after Misako-san, he knows also that it's not his place to do anything about it.

After making sure everyone's alright, the group carried on their way, and started to part into a few groups. Momo is sending Echizen home on his bike, Eiji, Fuji, Misako, Akino, Hiroko and Hinako all stay near each other, so they will be walking home together. As for Tezuka, Rie and Yumi, they stay within streets of each other, so they'll be walking home together as well. With their final goodbyes, the three groups took their different routes, and continued their walk back home. With Yumi between Tezuka and Rie, Yumi feels this slight tension between the three of them, but she refuses to dwell upon it and tries to dispel the slight awkwardness and to fill up the silence.

Not surprisingly, Tezuka on her left is in a state of silence, but surprisingly, Rie who is on her right is set in her contemplative mood as well, and seems too dazed to be shaken out of her silence. She decides to break the silence with the male captain first, figuring that Rie will join in the conversation sooner or later. "So Tezuka-san how was the meeting in school? Has the line-up for the Prefectural Tournament been confirmed?" The impassive buchou replies with a single line of "The line-up is confirmed", in his usual matter-of-fact way. Well, okay, maybe something more casual will do the trick.

"Tezuka, are you thinking of becoming a professional tennis player?" Tezuka finally looks over at Yumi and replies with, "Yes. I would like to go as far as I can in tennis." While looking at Yumi, he glances over at Rie also, and notes that she still hasn't quite exited her dazed mode yet. Tezuka speaks softly to Yumi so as not to let the person in question hear them, "Haruka-san, is Yuki-san fine?" Yumi shakes her head slightly, still not really convinced about the reason why Rie is acting the way she is now. "Rie, are you alright? We're a bit worried about your silence…"Upon Yumi's words, Rie looks up with a wavering look in her eyes, and assures the other two that she's fine, just tired from the long day in school and from the taxing tennis practice.

But just as Rie is about to re-assure them again, she fails to notice a slight bump in the road, and hence trips over the bump and lands heavily on her knees and hands. It's a good thing she managed to make use of her tennis reflexes to avoid crashing face-first to the ground, and yet because of the bump, she couldn't avoid using her knees to break the fall. "Itai…" Yumi and Tezuka rush immediately to her side, and sees her knees and hands scraped, though not badly, but scraped nonetheless. But other than that, she didn't seem to suffer any further injuries. Yumi holds Rie's left arm gingerly while Tezuka holds on to Rie's right arm and the both of them try to half-carry Rie to a nearby bench to assess her injuries more carefully and to attend to the wounds. After settling Rie down on the bench, Tezuka asserts that he will go to a nearby pharmacy to get some antiseptic lotion and some bandages for Rie's hands and knees, "Haruka-san, stay here with Yuki-san, I'll be back soon."

--

Rie looks down at her scratched hands and tries not to feel embarrassed for her fall. 'These things do happen, sure, but why now? I do hope buchou won't decide to ban me from practice for the next few weeks...'Yumi's voice interrupts her thoughts, "hey Rie, it's going to be alright. The wounds don't hurt that much right?"Yumi hopes the optimistic look in her eyes will help encourage her close friend. "Nah…the pain is bearable; it's just that I'm afraid buchou will not let me play tennis for the next few weeks, until at least my wounds start to heal. But I'm fine. Or rather, I will be fine!"Rie sinks back onto the seat, and as she leans on the hard wooden back of the bench, she knows she will be alright, and she smiles at Yumi, hoping that she will see that too.

Yumi's smile was one of relief after seeing Rie being her usual self once again. She is clear on how when things bother Rie, she will only tell you about it when she feels it right to share. She doesn't bottle up her feelings per se, she just feels the need to wait till she is able to understand the situation first, and then only when she's comfortable enough, will she choose to reveal it to others. But usually, even when she's down, she doesn't stay moody for long, Yumi guesses it's probably in Rie's nature to be emo for a while, and then takes steps to recover from the emo mood and shrug off the not so positive emotions. Well, it seems like she has put aside the issue, at least for now.

While waiting for Tezuka to return, Yumi's phone rings, and she walks slightly away from the bench in order to get better reception. "Okaasan, I'm with Rie now. She fell down accidentally, and another classmate and I are about to help her dress her wounds." As Yumi re-assures her mother that Rie is fine, her mother tells her that she needs to return home as quickly as she can, because her uncle's family came for a short visit from Osaka, and they are already in their house and they can only stay for a while. Yumi looks over at Rie's condition, and tries to ask her mother for a bit more time. After ending the phone call, Yumi walks back to Rie's side, and tells her of the predicament, "Rie, okaasan just told me that my uncle and his family just dropped by for a short visit, and they want to see me first before going back to Osaka…"

Upon seeing the slight distress on Yumi's face, Rie assures her it's fine, "No worries, I'll do just fine, you should go ahead first, I'll wait for Tezuka-san to come back." Just as Yumi is about to call Tezuka to inform him of the situation, the said person is seen half-jogging back to them. "Tezuka-san, I have to go off now, my family needs me. I'll leave Rie in your hands okay? Please make sure you get her home safely. Arigatou!" Tezuka nods his head at Yumi's quick explanation and tells her that he'll take care of Rie, and she'll be fine. With that, Yumi leans over to give Rie a quick hug and starts to run off in the direction of her house.

--

"The wounds don't look deep, it's just some abrasions."While seated beside Rie on the wooden bench, Tezuka bends over slightly to assess the cuts, and to start applying the antiseptic lotion on the wounds on her knees first. On seeing Tezuka uncapping the lid on the lotion bottle, Rie starts to feel the awkward feeling of being incompetent, and starts to persuade him that she can do it herself. "Tezuka-san, I can apply the lotion myself really…"It was not a feeble attempt of persuasion, but Tezuka's reply is equally determined, "It is better if I do it; your hands are in no state to apply the lotion properly."Rie decides to just leave it as it is, and tries to ignore the previous feeling of awkwardness and inability. Besides, if he insists, who is she to disagree?

Not surprisingly, Tezuka applies the lotion expertly, but with a gentler pressure than expected. As he finishes with the wounds on her knees and moves on to her hands, Rie feels a little uncomfortable resting her hands in his as he applies the lotion over the cuts. It wasn't as if she was shy or anything, it's just that she felt slightly undeserving of his attention and concern. Sure, they have been classmates for the third year, and Tezuka would probably do the same thing for any other person, it's just that when it came to Rie, she just wasn't quite ready to receive such treatment from him; it's just a little over-whelming for her right now. And she feels that she doesn't want to be caught in the trap of trying to figure out if Tezuka is really concerned over her like he was earlier for Misako buchou, or is he just concerned because it is his responsibility as a tennis buchou and as the president of the school's student council.

Rie isn't being superficial about the situation here, she is very glad for his concern, and she is clear that concern is still concern, no matter the reason, but it's just she is afraid to find out how little or how much she matters to him. 'Okay, I need to not let my thoughts and emotions run wild; I need to just focus on being thankful. But what's with today and me finding my hands in others' anyway?' She tries her hardest to remain collected and to bear with the stinging pain from the contact of her wounds with the lotion. Tezuka looks up to see a somewhat strained look on Rie's face, and asks, "Is it painful?" Rie blinks her eyes more forcefully than usual and with her hands still in Tezuka's, she shakes her head and tells him that it stings, but it isn't too painful for her to bear. Subconsciously, she sees the reduced tension in his shoulders and almost smiles at his sincerity. Unbeknownst to Rie, she doesn't quite connect the fact that his shoulders were tensed up originally.

Next, Tezuka applies the lotion onto the last part of the wounds on her hands and works on bandaging both her knees and hands. Within minutes, he is done, and upon seeing it, Rie tries to stand immediately so as to not trouble him further, but ends up falling back unceremoniously again onto the bench. "Be careful, let me help you." As Tezuka proceeds to hold her arms lightly, Rie feels encompassed by this unexplainable urge to break away from Tezuka. For when he reaches over like that, he reminds her of how he did the same thing when he asked after Misako buchou. And for Rie, she doesn't want to receive Tezuka's help in that way, not when she just saw how he looked after her buchou, someone else whom he is really close to, unlike her and him. "Tezuka-san, it's okay. I can do it myself. You don't have to trouble yourself." With that, Rie tries to stand again, but sways immediately on the spot, and has to sink back down on the bench. Her scraped knees just couldn't hold her steady.

--

"Yuki-san."Rie looks up only to see Tezuka in a half-crouching position, his eyes looking directly into hers. "Let me help you." Upon hearing him, Rie could only nod her head in silence. Tezuka turns around, with his back facing her, "I'll carry you home." Surprised, Rie didn't know what to do except to follow his instructions of hooking her arms around his neck and leaning against his back as he lifts her up, slowly, but assuredly. "Hold on tight, and don't worry. I won't let you fall." Rie smiles against the side of his face and thinks of how she has the implicit trust in him, that he will make good his promise.

"Tezuka-san, gomen. I'm sorry for being silly just now. I just felt a little useless at not being able to do anything." Rie hopes that somehow, he will understand. "It's fine. I understand." Tezuka remembers how during his first year, when his senior hit his arm, and when he played against Fuji later on, he felt this sense of helplessness at not being able to make full use of his left arm without being in excruciating pain. So yes, he really understands. In fact, he didn't even think of blaming Yuki at all. Rie smiles a genuine smile, knowing that Tezuka is really Tezuka; and he understands. "You should be able to continue your practice for the upcoming tournament, but you must take it easier, and you must remember not to strain your knees and hands."

It was if Tezuka knew exactly what Rie was worried about, and to her, his words of confirmation proved to be of much assurance and encouragement. As Rie was trying not to think of how weird it is to be carried by Tezuka, she didn't know what to say but to say a soft "Hai." Even though the following silence isn't uncomfortable, but Rie hopes that she wouldn't have to be the one to next initiate a conversation. Her hopes were answered. "Yuki-san, how do you find tennis?" Due to her position, Rie laughs lightly against the left side of Tezuka's face, thinking what a coincidence it is that he asked the same question. As if to explain her mirth, she replies, "Tennis has been nothing short of amazing to me. I am having so much fun learning about the sport and enjoying the games played on court. It's funny how you asked the same question as Fuji-san did earlier."Tezuka's steady steps comforted Rie, as she hoped earlier that she wasn't too heavy for him to carry. As they walked past the many shop houses on the streets of Tokyo, Tezuka ponders on what Rie has just revealed earlier.

--

He surprised himself by offering to carry her home on his back. He isn't one to make offers like that, not even to those he's close to. Okay, who is he kidding? The people he is close too are mainly guys, who obviously don't need to be carried, and even for Fueki-san, he doesn't have the inclination to carry her either. It's probably because he has never been caught in a situation where Fueki-san needed to be carried, but he is quite sure he would have found another way of bringing her home. It's a strange feeling for Tezuka, this unknown awareness of wanting to somehow take care of the female tennis player he is now carrying on his back. He is unsure of how to deal with the previous unexpected sense of protectiveness. And when he heard her laugh softly against his face earlier, he felt strangely pleased. It was just a common laugh, and yet, he could feel the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth after hearing her laugh.

As he prepared to ask his next question, he shifts her weight on his back slightly, to carry her in a more comfortable position. "Is there anything you might need my help in?" Rie thinks, 'He probably means tennis, and not school. Okay, maybe both.' Rie thinks also of how apt his question is, for she was just thinking a week earlier during practice of how she might need to seek the help of some of the male tennis regulars. But right now, she has to turn her face slightly away from his, for she may end up being distracted by how he smells of a mixture of the shampoo he uses, and of this refreshing aroma; like that of rain. It is a clean, musky tinge that fits Tezuka perfectly.

"Actually, I do need your help, or that of the other tennis regulars. I was playing on court the other day, and somehow along the way, I hit shots which I had no idea I was capable of. Shots which were unfamiliar to me and the rest, and surprisingly, they were all winners. The shots weren't very polished, as they were really new to me, but when I reviewed the shots with my opponent, we both couldn't identify them." After listening to Rie, Tezuka attempts to conclude the situation. "The shots you played with during the game could very well have been new shots, whereby you sub-consciously developed them while being pushed to your limits in the game." Rie nods her head at his statement, and proclaims, "That's what we discussed too, and buchou thinks it could be possible, so she was telling me to start exploring this area. She directed me to your team, saying how the guys' team has more players already skilled in creating their own tennis moves."

Rie was planning initially to approach Eiji-san and Oishi-san, thinking that she is more familiar with the both of them, and between them, the Golden Pair has created a lot of special and effective new moves. But now that Tezuka has volunteered his help, who better to ask than the tennis player whom almost everyone acknowledges is a national-class player and who has moves like the Zero-shiki drop?

--

As Rie directs him to her house, which according to her is just a few minutes' walk away, Tezuka is glad that Yuki-san has accepted his help to improve on her tennis skills. "We will have to go through those shots of yours, and try to refine them. We will indeed need the help of the rest in helping to explore what other moves you are capable of playing out."Rie nods her head in thanks and points to a two- storey house up ahead, painted in a cream white colour, with a light brown colored fence adorning the front yard. "That's my house Tezuka-san." After reaching her house's fence and helping Rie to stand on her feet, Tezuka makes plans with her to meet every Saturday morning to practice her tennis moves, along with perhaps a few other tennis members.

"Tezuka-san, I just want to say arigatou for everything. And I'll see you tomorrow in school okay?" Rie smiles at Tezuka while standing by the fence, and as she gives a final wave before turning around to walk slowly and cautiously to her front door, she hears one last thing from the male tennis buchou before he leaves for his own house, "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow, and take care of yourself… Rie-san." Without turning back, Rie smiles after hearing his words. Indeed, some things really happen at the most unexpected time. She recalls saying that she can't be the only one wanting to be a true friend to Tezuka-san earlier during the day. And perhaps, this is him making the effort to reach out to her as a close friend now.

* * *

(1)- taken from Wikipedia too. I'm not aspiring to be a World History major either, but it's quite interesting to know facts like that, ne?;)

(2)- my own creation. Yes, even the shakes, though some inspiration came from _Starbucks Coffee_.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:

Not a real chapter here, but I just have a question in mind. I placed my story _Tulips_ on hold because of my school work and also as I continue to write, I just wanted to find out if those who read my stories are truly enjoying them. So if it's possible and not too much of a hassle, as you read this note of mine, can I implore you to just share with me what do you feel after reading my works? I know I've said before that I don't particularly live on reviews, and I still don't, but it's just at times when I write, I would like to know who is reading and what do they feel about it. Especially from those who have added my stories on their story alert. So thank you in advance and I do hope everyone's been doing well! :)

oh, and one quote of the day from the movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, _"It's not how well you play, but how you feel when playing. "_

The movie's fine in terms of plot and the acting, but the lines are pretty memorable.

Besides that, since I'm here, might as well recommend another manga to all of you, Kami no Shizuku is really quite awesome:) I'm more into watching the show than reading the manga though, and it's definitely worth checking out;) oh, and Mei-chan no Shitsuji is great too :D haha, I am using this chapter as a tag board. ignore my ramblings if you wish! have a blessed weekend in advance!


	7. Preview for chapter six

Disclaimer: Nothing of _Prince of Tennis_ is mine. The plot and OCs are mine though:)

A/N: thank you to all my readers! I know it's been a while since I updated, I just do not have the ability and time to type up a full chapter. So I've decided to come up with a preview of chapter six(the next chapter)! I hope you all will just have fun reading it, and hopefully it won't be too much of a cliffhanger? haha, I will officially update a full chapter in May!

oh, there's an IMPORTANT NOTICE! I started off the story with the idea that it's going to be a Tezuka-OC-Fuji story, but i'm thinking of tilting the scales to favor just one male character. what do you all think? Should it be Tezuka or Fuji? (I decided to put Fuji as the main character in _Tulips_ not necessarily because he's going to be the one I choose, just that I didn't want people to think that this is a shounen-ai story, so I just decided to select Fuji first. haha, alphabetical order,ne?) I have an idea of who I will eventually choose, but I would really love to hear all of your opinions and reasons why you think Fuji or Tezuka should end up with Rie. Or maybe you think they should end up with other people, maybe Misako with Tezuka, or maybe Akino with Fuji? haha. Please start up a discussion, as i think it'll be fun to have everyone engaged in the story. thanks a lot in advance and do continue to support this story!:)

--

_And so, I_ _present to you, the preview to chapter six-_

_((Please do forgive the mistakes you spot in this preview. I tried!))_

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* * *

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Sometimes, the most surprising things happen when you least expect them. Somehow, Yuki Rie didn't think there will come a day where Seigaku Tennis Team's two most promising players will utter the same words out of their lips. _"I like you."_ That's what they said. And that's what she heard. And that's the reason why on both occasions, she had to try her hardest not to blush and not to send her mind's imagination into over-drive.

Fuji said it first. He said it in an almost playful way, and as if the first sentence wasn't a shocker already, his next sentence just had Rie thinking if everything is just a bad dream or someone's playing a joke on her; Fuji just had to be kidding. _"Will you be my girlfriend?"_ There you go. That has got to be the most dramatic moment in all of her school days. Okay, not counting the time when she and Akino accidentally set a portion of the chemistry lab on fire due to an experiment gone wrong. Hey, it wasn't entirely their fault that the chemicals reacted in a way they didn't expect and end up causing the whole cylinder to explode, was it? Anyway, back to the confession of a lifetime. Rie just stood there and blanked out, wondering if she really did hear what she heard or perhaps Fuji meant it in the way of "Could they be friends as close as _girl_ friends?" Or what was more likely would be that Fuji was just asking her for advice on how to reach out to the girl he likes, and Rie just happened to be available for help.

Fuji smiles again and repeats his question. The second time around, Rie has no qualms that what she heard earlier was exactly what Fuji just proclaimed again. 'Oh Kami-sama, what on earth is happening?' Rie tries not to move away from Fuji and run away to some secluded corner of the school and hide from him. 'How is it possible that **the** tensai Fuji Syuusuke just asked me, of all people to be his girlfriend?' For that moment, Rie thinks that either the world is about to end or at least, someone is going to burst out laughing the next moment and say "Gotcha!" Unfortunately, neither of which happened.

--

The second confession came of course from Seigaku Tennis Team's well-admired buchou. The one and only Tezuka Kunimitsu, whom many suspect has only one set of expression. The stoic look on his face. And hence, you might double over in shock when those three words came out from his lips with more than just a tinge of heartfelt sincerity and a little of awkwardness?? NO, Tezuka, **_THE_ **Tezuka being uncomfortable? The one who wasn't fazed out when his senior whacked his arm, the one who defeated a captain of another tennis team, the one whom the entire school knows not to mess around with, the one who is hailed as an almost perfect guy, AWKWARD?

Now, Rie knows for sure that the world is really coming to an end. It has to, she has no other way to escape the outrageous situation she is in. 'Where on earth am I going to hide my face from now on?' Rie tries not to panic and fails miserably as she considers what is probably going to happen the next day in school. 'I'll be trampled by the combined forces of the insanely fanatic fan clubs of both Fuji and Tezuka.' Maybe it's time to pack the bags and fly off to a faraway island where the screams and the nails of crazy fan girls can't reach her. Yes, that sounds like a really good plan. If only she can get out of school fast enough.

* * *

Somebody, kick-start the discussion, and the rest follow kay! haha, I hope to join you all in the discussion:)


	8. Taking Chances

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything of _Prince of Tennis_.

A/N: Hi all, it's been a long time since I updated this fic of mine, and I'm sorry it took so long! It was really difficult writing this chapter as I felt a bit distant from not working on it for a few months, and I really hope it works out fine.

Just to clarify some things, for both the male and female tennis teams in my fic, they will be facing the same opponents in the tennis tournaments. I know it's not likely, but for the flow of the story, I changed it.

Also, this chapter is dedicated to _Carnett Rose; _thank you for your encouragement, it helped keep me going:)

And special thanks to _Lilpurrfection;_ your opinions really matter to me and thank you for making the effort to share them with me!

Without much more ado, here's the complete version of chapter six, _Taking Chances_,

* * *

All of them have one dream. The dream of reaching the finals of the National Middle School Tennis Tournament, the one goal of Seigaku's Tennis Team is to pursue the tennis championship. And for the past few months, they have worked hard, struggled, and faced many difficulties to reach where they are now. During the Prefectural Tournaments, Seigaku faced many other strong tennis teams on the courts; teams like Fudomine, and St. Rudolph.

And in less than a month away, they are going to face their strongest opponent as of yet: Hyotei Academy's Tennis Team. Headed by Atobe Keigo, an egotistical, but impressive tennis player who once won in an official match played against one of the former captains of Seigaku's Tennis Team. But before delving into details about the highly anticipated tennis match with Hyotei, a more immediate and shocking revelation is happening right now amidst the commotion within the school halls of Seigaku.

--

Yuki Rie feels like she has just been brought into a fictitious world, a world where everything feels surreal, and the most unexpected things happen without you actually registering them. In a split second, one person flips her world upside-down, and turns it topsy-turvy without her noticing. She wonders, how can one seemingly innocent question spark off so great a reaction and so devastating a consequence?

Stunned, she smiles weakly, and slowly lowers herself into her seat, while trying furiously to come up with excuses for the behavior of the person standing right in front of her. The past few months passed by like a blur to Yuki Rie, and ever since she plucked up the courage to join the female tennis team in school, everything in her life seems to have changed.

She has grown to love a sport she has never had the experience of playing before, and she has grown to be so accustomed to the weird but interesting personalities of her other team members and of the guys' team as well.

But really, nothing could have prepared her for this surprise. It feels more like a shock really. That the one Fuji Syuusuke, the acclaimed tensai of the school just decided to proclaim his "undying love" for her in the middle of the hallway outside, surrounded by at least forty other people.

Okay, so she's exaggerating a little, one can never really use the phrase "undying love" and link it to Fuji Syuusuke, who despite his nice and gentlemanly exterior, is as passionate about love as his fellow teammate Tezuka Kunimitsu is. Sure, he has considered going out with a few girls before, but he has never actually asked any girl out before, even though he practically has a whole fan club of girls insanely in love with him to choose from.

So one might ask, what is it about Yuki Rie, that makes even the distant prodigy venture to speak about his feelings in a crowded walkway?

--

"Fuji, is this a joke?"

Hardly being able to take it anymore, Rie starts to question the motives of the smiling guy standing in front of her out in the open. After being led briskly out of her classroom by the mentioned guy, and away from the crowd (half of the girls fainted after hearing Fuji's proclamation, while the other half started to break out in loud speculation and screams in response to what just happened), Rie finds herself at the benches area near to the tennis courts that they are both so familiar with.

"Rie-san, what makes you think this is a joke? Is it so hard to believe that I can fall in love with you?"

Staring at him in exclamation, Rie refuses the overwhelming urge to start stuttering and blushing in the view of the mischievous grin on Fuji's face. "Of course it's impossible to believe, I mean Fuji-san, I'm not a genius, unlike someone, but honestly, I know it when you're not being completely serious."

Fuji smiles even wider at the revelation coming from Rie, and waits for her to explain her sentence.

"You will always have this extremely mischievous look on your face, and though you had this perfect smile on your face just now when you said you liked me, and asked if I could be your girlfriend, I couldn't help but notice a glimpse of that look."

Rie crosses her legs, as she shifts into a more comfortable sitting position on top of the wooden table at the benches area. "So are you going to be truthful with me, or are you going to keep me and probably the rest of the school guessing?"

Fuji smirks, and walks over to stand in front of Rie, "Somehow, I knew I wouldn't be able to fool you, but it was worth the effort though, seeing the look on your face when I said those words…"

"Fuji! I always knew you are a little sadistic, but honestly, to go to all that extent just to see the look of surprise on my face?"

"Well, of course I have a reason for doing so…but the expression on your face was really quite priceless. I wish I had my camera with me."

Rie resists the urge to sigh, and instead, waits for Fuji to explain to her the real motive for his unexpected confession.

--

"I need your help. There's this girl, Tomoya-san, who has been sending me countless of letters and presents, and though I've told her so many times that it is just not possible, she insists she's the perfect one for me…"

"Tomoya-san? You mean the female president of your fan-club? The one who let out that unearthly scream just now?"

"That would be her alright. She can be a little melodramatic at times. The thing is, I kind of let slip that I am already interested in someone else, just so to let her give up her pursuit. And as you can see, it backfired."

Rie looks at Fuji with an expression of incredulity, and wonders how the resident prodigy can be so helpless when it comes to love. "So basically, you're saying that there is no actual person you're interested in, and because she's pestering you to tell her who it is, you decided to choose me to pretend to be that someone?"

"You summarized the situation pretty well, Rie-san. I'm impressed."

"Woe is me! (1) Fuji-san, has it ever occurred to you that I might refuse?"

"Do you want the real answer to that question?"

"It's fine. I'd rather be ignorant in this case, but seriously, out of so many other girls in the school can't you just find someone else? I'm sure there are thousands of girls out there who would love to pretend to be your girlfriend."

"Actually, besides you, there's only seven other girls I can ask…"

"Seven? Wait a moment; don't tell me you actually told Tomoya-san that the girl you're interested in is in the tennis team??"

--

At the almost sheepish look on Fuji's face, Rie has to summon up all her willpower so as not to reach over and wipe off the deceivingly innocent smile on Fuji's face. 'Stay calm. You wouldn't want his crazy fan club to throttle you after knowing you had the nerve to even consider violence on their beloved Fuji-sama. Not to mention, Ryuusaki-sensei and the rest of the tennis team will just kill me if I end up hurting one of their most prized players…'

After taking a few deep breaths, Rie looks pointedly at Fuji and starts an interrogation with why the girl didn't end up being one from the other girls in the tennis team.

"Why didn't you ask Yumi-san? I'm sure she would have agreed to it…"

"And risk the chance of Eiji not speaking to me for at least a week?"

"Okay, reason accepted. Misako-buchou?"

"And reduce the competition for you? I didn't ask Fueki-san because she probably would have refused, no?"

Rie refuses to take the bait in Fuji's sentence about the competition. As if Tezuka-san is just a reward for them to fight over. 'That's not to say that I'm interested in Tezuka-san, I mean I like him, but not like that…argh! Why on earth am I being troubled by the random sentence?'

Fuji almost has to control himself so as not to burst out laughing at the comical look on Rie's face, things are really becoming much more interesting than he thought they would be.

"Aren't you going to ask about the rest? I can't ask Yajima-san and Mayuko-san because apparently Tomoya-san has taken on the belief that the girl I like is in our level."

"Reika fuku-buchou? She's in our year right?"

"I don't think she'll be able to stand the response of the other girls."

"What makes you think I can? Anyway, what about Hinako-san? She's also in our year!"

Fuji smiles fondly at Rie before ruffling her hair lightly, "Of course you'll be able to take the response, you're Rie-san after all. And as for Hinako-san, I figured you would make a more interesting target."

Rie mock-glares at Fuji while trying to smooth over the hair on top on her head.

"Target? Interesting? Fuji-san, I'm not even sure if I should take that as a compliment…"

"Oh Rie-san, you should. Interesting people make life less boring."

Rie rolls her eyes childishly at him, and asks about Akino-san.

"I did consider asking Akino-san, but you are easier to persuade."

"Now, I know for sure, that is not a compliment. Easier to persuade? You choose me to be the unlucky one just because I'm supposedly interesting and easier to persuade? Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you…"

"Hmmm. I always thought you like me for my dashingly good looks and my irresistible charm, no?"

Fuji can't help but to tease the girl in front of him, her reactions are just too funny to be missed, and she never seems to get angry with him for his teasing, and isn't too shy around him to not use her own wit and sarcasm against him.

"Don't be too full of yourself Fuji-san, you still have lots more to improve upon! And stop using that look on me; honestly, you are too persuasive for your own good. I will agree to pretend to be your girlfriend..."

Fuji smirks at how he easily he managed to win Rie over to his side.

--

"But on two conditions. You are to explain to the tennis team at least that this is just pretence. And at any point in time, should I feel awkward, I have the choice to call the whole thing off."

"Mou, that's harsh. How is Tomoya-san going to believe us if the whole tennis team knows that this is all pretence?"

Rie considers the situation, and realizes that Fuji is right, and with a slight sigh of frustration, tells him the secret will just have to be between them.

"But my second condition still stands! And to tell you the truth, I am horribly bad at acting…I still think you asked the wrong person."

"Trust me, I haven't asked the wrong person. And you don't have to do much, just take my lead, and everything will be fine."

Somehow, as Rie takes the hand offered by Fuji to help her off the table, she chooses to take the risk, and to believe in Fuji. 'Friends should help each other out right? And besides, how bad can this get?'

Little does she know that by saying a simple "Yes" to Fuji, her life will change in more ways than she can imagine.

--

Unfortunately for Rie, the next lesson happens to be English, and as we all know, English lessons are used for catching-up sessions, and Rie can already foresee how she will be bombarded with questions from Yumi.

As Fuji leads her back to her classroom like a perfect gentleman, Rie can't help but feel a little awkward at how everyone seems to be looking at her differently, and some looks held envy, while others had glimpses of happiness for her. "Rie-san, I'll see you later alright?"

At the genuine smile on Fuji's face, Rie feels more assured, and Rie knows that Fuji will never lead her on a rollercoaster ride just for the sake of it, and she knows that whatever comes, she won't be left alone to face the music. "Hai, I'll see you later."

She felt like she is walking on a tightrope on her way back to her seat next to Tezuka-san, and Rie deliberately lowers her head slightly to avoid the inquisitive looks on her classmates. Thank Kami-sama that their English sensei decided to walk into the classroom right at that moment, as if he hadn't, Rie would probably have been overwhelmed by a chorus of questions.

"Alright people, I hope you have all understood the meanings of the twenty words we learned today. And go on, break up into your groups and start talking!"

"Alright, you've heard what sensei just said, start talking."

Rie looks over suspiciously at Yumi, and notices that she has not even bothered to select her ten words, and is just staring at her, waiting for the explanation of what just happened.

"Well, can I tell you what happened later? And just discuss the words sensei taught us today?"

"Don't try to wriggle your way out of this Rie, I am about to explode with the need to know!"

"Oh alright, Fuji-san just asked me out, and I happen to say yes. That's about it really…"

Rie almost shifts her chair back at the murderous look on Yumi's face, and she would have done so if not for the reason that she would bump into Tezuka-san's chair and that would be the most embarrassing situation.

"What on earth do you mean he just happened to ask you out and you just happened to say yes? I mean there were absolutely no signs at all that hinted at a possible relationship between you two. And I always thought you were more interest in Te—"

"Yumi! Can you lower down your volume? Goodness, if you haven't noticed, the rest of the class is not exactly concentrating on their own words either, and don't you dare mention the taboo name alright. I swear, I am not interested in who you think it is."

"Alright, sorry about that, it's just you've been receiving his help over the past few months, and spending so much time together means something right?"

--

Honestly, Rie is able to understand where Yumi is coming from, and Tezuka-sa has indeed been very helpful over the past few months, taking time off every Saturday to coach her on her playing, and how to develop new shots on her own.

But it seems that even though they have spent the past Saturdays together, Tezuka-san still does not feel comfortable enough to have real conversations with her. And Rie would be lying if she said she didn't feel slightly disappointed when Tezuka-san reverted back to calling her Yuki-san on the first Saturday they met up on.

She guessed it was probably because of his habit of calling people by their formal names. Besides, Rie is not going to let that small detail hinder her from getting to know Tezuka-san better, and she is really glad to have his help. 'I wonder if he heard the commotion…'As Rie sneaks a glance at Tezuka, she hopes that the new situation with Fuji will not affect Tezuka's opinion of her as a person.

"Yumi, I am glad for his help, but that's just it. I just want us to be closer friends, that's all. Don't read too much into it…"

"Understood. But seriously, what is with the sudden confession and the immediate acceptance with Fuji-san?"

"I can't tell you all the details right now; you will just have to trust in me and in Fuji-san."

At the pleading look in Rie's eyes, Yum finally concedes to wait for the appropriate time for Rie to tell her the truth, and as a friend, she vows to do whatever it takes to protect Rie, especially from the fanatic fan-girls of Fuji.

"Alright, I believe you, and don't worry; the girls will always be here with you, and no matter what happens, we'll take your side even if we don't quite understand what is going on."

Rie smiles whole-heartedly at Yumi, and reaches over to embrace her. "Arigatou Yumi, I promise to do the same for you when Eiji finally decides to ask you out."

"Rie! Sheez…how many times must I tell you there's nothing going on between Eiji and me? Anyway, let's get back to the words before Takahi sensei suspects something…"

Rie grins at Yumi's abrupt change in topics, and thanks Kami-sama for blessing her with friends like Yumi.

--

The bell rings, signaling the end of another school day. Thankfully, today's a Tuesday, so there isn't anything tennis practice, and Ryuusaki sensei decided to let the tennis teams an off day from activities to rest and recuperate at home after the past few intensive months of practicing and playing in the matches.

Just as Rie is about to leave the classroom, Yumi stops to tell her that she won't be able to go home with her due to a need for her to stay back for a project in her advanced English lessons. Rie assures her that she'll be fine alone, but can't help feeling a little apprehensive as to how to tackle those schoolmates who will pester her about the truth regarding Fuji's confession. Truthfully, Rie does not feel like she is up to it, and does not feel like having to face up to their questions. She just wants to go home, rest, and think about the mess that she has gotten herself into.

And not to mention, Fuji just sent her a message telling her that he has some stuff to settle with his teachers, and apologizes for not being able to walk her home. Now, who can she rely on to defend her from the masses outside? 'I'll just have to brave it out…' After saying a quick goodbye to her classmates, she rushes out of the classroom, hoping that she'll at least make it past the crowds in the hallways.

But alas, even before she can run out of the classroom, swarms of people just started to corner her and before she can even attempt to defend herself, questions start pouring in, and some girls even grabbed her arms and started to demand what went on with Fuji. Struggling against the rest, she could tell that most of her classmates are already trying to pry off the girls, but there is just too many of them.

--

"Stay away from her."

While trying to catch her breath, Rie looks up startled at the voice that came from behind her, and almost sighs in relief at recognizing the voice. Upon hearing the commanding voice of Tezuka-san, the girls who were holding her against the wall quickly releases her, and backs away from her. Tezuka walks over calmly to Rie and takes her lightly by the arm and leads her out of the classroom. "I'll walk you home."

Rie smiles in gratitude at Tezuka, and allows herself to be guided by Tezuka, and thanks Kami-sama that he appeared at the right time, and saved her from the crazy fan-girls. Now only if she can stop the rising blush on her face, things will just be perfect. 'It's probably an after-effect of being cornered by the girls, and probably the summer heat too…'

Tezuka successfully maneuvers the both of them out of the crowded walkways, leaving the onlookers with no chance of approaching Rie by keeping her hand firmly in his. When Tezuka has that serious look on his face, which is 95% of the time, everyone knows better than to cross his path.

--

All throughout the walk home, the both of them stayed in a comfortable silence, and though Rie was preparing herself for Tezuka to ask her about Fuji, he didn't mention a word about it. As they gradually approached a park near their houses, Rie walks over on impulse to the swings located at the playground.

Tezuka raises an eyebrow in question, but he follows her and stands beside her. While seated on the swing and pushing the swing back and forth lightly, Rie raises her head to look at Tezuka. "Tezuka-san, aren't you going to ask me about what happened just now?"

"No."

Rie pauses for a moment at his usual, straightforward reply. She can't help but feel a little disappointed that Tezuka doesn't really care enough to want to know more. Or maybe she's just reading too much into things.

"Tezuka-san, do you find me troublesome?"

Over the past few months, Rie has been struggling with the issue of how every time she needs help, Tezuka will always be there, and how she seems to be caught in the worst situations, and Tezuka will be there to witness them. Honestly, she wonders if she comes across as being too needy and too dependent on the help of others.

At seeing the slightly despondent look on Rie's face and how she seems to be really concerned on whether he finds her a burden, causes this slight tension in his chest. Tezuka walks to stand in front of Rie, and tells her of how she is never a burden to him.

"Rie-san, you are not troublesome."

At the use of her given name, Rie looks up to see a look on Tezuka'z face, one that implores of her to believe in him. Before she can say anything in response, Tezuka continues.

"You have what it takes to be an outstanding tennis player, and it is hard not to like you as a person."

Rie is surprised at Tezuka's choice of words, and even more taken aback at how she is able to see traces on emotion on his face, and how he really means what he says.

"Tezuka-san…"

Tezuka has no idea what came over him at that moment in time, but all he knows is that he needed to make sure that Rie gets the ridiculous idea of her being a burden out of her mind. He realizes with a jolt, that he cares for the girl seated on the swing in front of him, and though he knows it's not love per se, he can't help but understand that this is the first time in his life that he is experiencing such feelings.

He recalls how when he first heard the news of Fuji asking her out, he had a neutral look on his face, but inside, his feelings and thoughts were on the verge of chaos. Even though he tried to push aside those feelings, they kept coming back to him.

And as he looks Rie, he realizes that there is a chance of losing her. And though he knows not why, he feels a strange urge to just reach out to her and not let go.

--

With Tezuka, it is just difficult to know what he is thinking, and more importantly, what he is feeling. And at this point in time, Rie struggles with both. She thinks she sees Tezuka going through an inner turmoil, but she hesitates to press upon her assumptions. She stands up from the swing slowly, and asks, "Shall we continue our way home then?"

Tezuka gives her a curt nod, and once again, they fall into step, side by side.

As he keeps his eyes focused on the road ahead, he thinks of how perhaps Rie is better suited with Fuji. He has been teammates and friends with Fuji for three years now, and though he knows not how Fuji suddenly decides to ask Rie out, he knows for sure that Fuji will never hurt her. And to him, that is enough. He knows that for someone like Rie, she needs a person who will always be there to support her, and cheers her up when there's a need to. And to Tezuka, he is unsure of whether he can be that person to Rie.

"This is my place. Arigatou Tezuka-san for helping me out earlier and I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Tezuka nods at her, and as he walks away with the image of Rie's smile in his mind, he wonders, if perhaps, it's too early to forfeit the match. In tennis, he would always give his best and will never give up even if he has to overcome much pain to achieve victory. To Tezuka, giving up equates to not believing enough in his own ability and in his teammates. And it is not like him to hold back when he knows that what he is longing for is worth the effort.

As he thinks of how people always term him as the "pillar of support" in Seigaku's Tennis Team, he questions himself if whether he is able and willing to be that same pillar of support in Rie's life. He knows not how he is going to do that, and he knows not how to tell Fuji about this, but all he knows is that for once, he is ready to take a risk, and he knows that whatever happens, what matters is that he will not have any regrets at not having tried.

* * *

Please do leave your comments, as reviews really help writers to know how to improve their stories and the encouragement is always loved! thanks:)

(1)- a line from _Oedipus Rex_.

Oh, and the next chapter of _Tulips_ will be centred around Rie's first date with Fuji, and the feelings of the trio.


	9. Picnic in the Park

Disclaimer: Nothing of _Prince of Tennis_ belongs to me.

A/N: Some of you may have realised that I have removed the On Hiatus sign from the summary. Yes, I have decided to resume writing, and I am going to keep at it:) This chapter is also slightly light-hearted in nature, and I do hope none of the characters are too OOC. I am currently writing the next chapter already, and it will be more on Tezuka and his thoughts about Fuji and Rie. In any case, I do hope you all will continue to support this story of mine, and please do provide reviews so that I will know the areas I can improve in and what you think is quite good in the story. Thank you!

* * *

Rows and flows of angel hair,

And ice cream castles in the air,

And feather canyons everywhere,

I've looked at clouds that way.

- _Both Sides Now, Joni Mitchell_.

* * *

Rie has absolutely no idea why she is currently standing in front of the Kasai Rinkai Koen Station waiting for a certain tensai to arrive. Dressed in a simple white blouse and a knee-length skirt in a light shade of pink, Rie thinks of how life seems to have a plan of its own, and she is just going along with the currents in life. For starters, on a bright summer day like today, she should be out with her girl friends and having a great time together with them. But somehow, life decides to throw in a "date" for her; and with a Fuji Syuusuke no less. Sometimes, she wonders about all the unexpected moments in her life, and questions why some of the most unusual things happen to her when others can just lead ordinary, quiet lives. Then again, a life without such drama would probably be a boring one, and she would rather have some craziness in her life than just let life pass her by.

But that still does not explain why she has to stand outside the train station, looking like she has just been stood up on a date. 'Well, Fuji-san could have changed his mind about the whole "pretending to be attached" act, and decided not to come…' Looking around her, Rie consoles herself by thinking that even if Fuji-san finally came to his senses and decided to agree with her that the whole pretence thing is just plain silly, he will at least have the decency to tell her in advance that the "date" is canceled.

--

While waiting, Rie decides to plug in her earphones and to turn on the music from her iPod. As Oliver James' song "Long Time Coming" plays in her ears, she laughs at the irony behind the song's title and the situation she is in now. 'Fuji-san better be worth the wait…'

"Now I know what I'm waiting for…"As Rie softly sings along to the song, she ponders upon the lyrics. 'Do I really know what I am waiting for?'

As the music plays on, Rie recalls the tennis practice earlier on with Tezuka-san. At the start of the day, Rie thought that things would be slightly awkward due to the unexpected "confession" from Fuji, and after what happened at the playground with Tezuka. But true to his nature, Tezuka-san seemed perfectly normal, and didn't show any signs of being affected by the strange turn in events. He was patient and helpful in coaching Rie during the practice, and it was precisely because he seemed so normal that Rie couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

When they were at the playground, and when Tezuka leaned down to look into her eyes as he said those words, Rie felt something. But as she saw how Tezuka-san reverted back to his usual stoic demeanor during practice, she questions if she hallucinated the look in Tezuka-san's eyes. She though she saw a spark of something in his eyes; an emotion she was unfamiliar with. And yet, now she isn't too sure.

Shaking her head slightly, Rie tries to clear the thoughts in her head, and to try to just focus on that it was already good enough that Tezuka-san expressed his concern and his assurance that she isn't a burden to anyone.

As Rie puts an end to the thoughts in her mind, one final thought escapes her control, 'Well, Tezuka-san is Tezuka-san after all…but sometimes I wish I can just understand what he is thinking and feeling…'

--

Rustle.

Rie looks up suspiciously at the greenery in front of her, 'hmmm, I thought I just saw something or someone behind the bushes. I must be hallucinating again…'Taking the earpiece out of her right ear, Rie wonders if her eyes are playing tricks on her as she thought she saw a glimpse of dark red hair among the bushes situated a few meters away from her. 'That color…it reminds me of Eiji's hair. But why on earth will Eiji be here on a Saturday and why behind the bushes?'

--

"Eiji-senpai! STOP attracting attention to us, and STOP poking your head out of the bushes, you'll give our cover away!"

"Nya~ But I can't see a thing, and Fuji's LATE!"

"Mada mada dane…why am I here??"

"O'chibi, you're here because this is a really important event!"

"Do you think I should call Tezuka-san to tell him about this? I mean I am so worried something will happen, and it will destroy the relationship between the two tennis teams…"

"Relax Oishi-senpai, Inui-senpai has already called Tezuka-buchou, and as usual, buchou hung up on him before he could even say anything…"

Amidst the noise and confusion in the bushes, a certain tennis prodigy passes a tennis racquet to an unsuspecting senior.

"BURNING!! Come on people, where on earth is Fuji?! Let's get this date started~!"

As Kawamura starts to swing the tennis racquet around, the other guys in the team quickly try to pin him down successfully and to grab the racquet away from him. A muffled chorus of "Echizen!" and "O'chibi" could be heard after the commotion.

Thankfully, the person whom they are all stalking remained semi-oblivious to it all.

--

"Did I just hear Kawamura-san's voice? It sounded like his typical 'Burning' shout…it must be the heat that is making me see and hear things...honestly, if Fuji-san is not turning up in the next five minutes, I'm going home."

While waiting, Rie has taken to pacing up and down the sidewalk, and just as she is about to turn around to face the station, she feels a pair of hands reach out to cover her eyes.

"Guess who?"

As Rie feels the slight calloused palms against her eyes, she is reminded of that time when Fuji unexpectedly held her hand. "You better be Fuji-san, or else I am going to scream my head off…"

A soft chuckle is heard before the "mysterious" stranger starts to speak. "Saa…how did you know?"

--

As Fuji releases his hands from her face, he thinks to himself how earlier on he just couldn't help playing the game of "guess who" on Rie. And strangely enough, when he released his hands from her face, there was a warm, tingling feeling in his fingers.

"Gomen Rie-san, I had to get something before I came to meet you, and the errand took longer than I expected."

Rie smiles and shakes her head after hearing his reason, indicating that she didn't mind the wait, and without much ado, she asked Fuji about the plans he has in mind for today.

"We're going for a picnic:)"

As Rie takes note of the huge outdoor basket Fuji is carrying, she realizes that he came well-prepared for the picnic indeed. "But I didn't prepare anything!"

Fuji almost laughs at the look of panic on Rie's face. He pats the side of the basket softly and says, "This should be more than enough, and of course you're not supposed to prepare anything, this is a date remember? The girl is just supposed to be treated like a queen by the guy, isn't it?"

"No…If you want to be together, it has to be a two-way thing! It can't just be one side giving all the time…"

Fuji smiles at how sincere and serious Rie is about the need for both parties to give and take. He is mildly surprised at the maturity of Rie's thinking and beliefs, as nowadays, a lot of girls just want to be pampered and loved without doing anything on their parts. Love can be selfish, but part of the joy is truly in the giving, rather than the taking.

"Alright Rie-san, you'll be the one to provide for our next date then."

Rie almost kneels over in shock at the abrupt manner in which Fuji just indirectly asked her out for another date. But before she can answer him, he has already taken her arm and looped her arm around his. "Shall we go then?"

Fuji flashes another of his smiles at Rie and they both start to make their way to Kasai Rinkai Koen Park.

--

So, as the both of them start to make their way to the park, the stalkers behind the bushes also start to re-locate their stalking hide-out.

--

The first thing Fuji did when they both reached the park was to lay out the simple picnic mat on the grass, and after which, he signaled Rie to find a comfortable sitting position on the mat. And so, after taking out the food and being comfortably seated, they started to enjoy the food prepared by Fuji while conversing with each other.

"Oishii…Fuji-san, thank you for preparing the food! They are all so delicious...MASHED POTATOES!" Upon discovering the box containing mashed potatoes, Rie couldn't help but exclaim when she saw that the special treat was bought from Macy's. "Fuji-san, was the errand just now to do with getting the chunky mashed potatoes from Macy's?"

Fuji nodded his head while reaching over for the sandwiches.

"Ah,this is absolutely fantastic. Arigatou!" On seeing the look of delight on Rie's face, any regrets of having to make an extra trip down to Macy's all vanished away. Fuji wonders if the mashed potatoes are really that nice, so nice that Rie seems to have forgotten all about the rest of the food and is now solely concentrating on devouring the whole box of mashed potatoes in front of her.

"Of course it is that nice. Macy's mashed potatoes are known to be buttery and chunky goodness. Yum…Try some, and then you'll know how impossible it is to stop at just one bite!"

For the next few minutes, the both of them end up laughing over how it is really impossible to stop eating the mashed potatoes until they are all gone.

--

"It's nice lying down here like that, with no worries, no cares, and just admiring the clouds in the sky."

With her legs laid out straight in front of her, Rie agrees with Fuji. It's beautiful just lying down on the mat, and breathing in the fragrance of freshly-cut grass, and the sweet aroma of flowers planted nearby. After the lunch, they just carried on talking about all sorts of things like school, tennis, and more about their own personal lives.

Now, as they both lie down in a comfortable silence, Rie thinks back on the question she asked Fuji earlier on during the mashed potatoes fiasco. She asked him how did he know she likes the mashed potatoes from Macy's, and Fuji just answered simply, "I asked Tezuka what he thinks you'll like, and he pointed to Macy's while we were going home from school the other day."

When Fuji gave her that answer, Rie didn't know how to react. Should she be happy that Tezuka noticed a small detail such as this, or should she just brush it off as a random occurrence? After all, it is rather silly to rejoice over such a small thing, especially when it's probably a coincidence that Tezuka guessed correctly about what Rie would like.

'Right. It's just a coincidence; I mean Tezuka-san probably won't bear in mind such random information…'

With that, Rie decidedly pushes aside the thought that Tezuka-san might actually care for her slightly more than a normal friend.

--

"Hey Fuji-san, what do you make out of that cloud over there?" Rie uses her index finger to point at this fluffy white cloud in the blue sky above them.

"Well, it looks like a yacht or a boat to me."

"Fuji-san…is that the most creative you can be?"

Fuji turns his head slightly while glancing sideways at Rie. He grins as he prompts Rie to give her version of what she thinks the cloud looks like. "So Rie-san, what creative views do you have on the cloud?

"It's so obvious it's a triple-decker banana split topped with extra scoops of ice-cream, chocolate fudge and marshmallows! See the small fluffy bits of clouds there? That's the marshmallows…"

In the end, Fuji couldn't resist teasing Rie about how her mind seems to be wired to concentrate on food alone, and if she doesn't watch out, she's going to turn into a female version of Momo.

--

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Rie sits up abruptly after hearing something like Momo's voice coming from the bushes situated a distance away.

"Fuji-san, did you hear that? I heard someone like Momo saying something…"

Fuji smirks at Rie's puzzled face, and motions for her to not bother about it.

Shrugging her shoulders, Rie settles back to her comfortable position of lying on her back.

"Oh well. I must have heard wrongly…though it's really strange how I keep hearing voices and seeing things today. I must miss the tennis team too much…"

Fuji can't help but smile at her explanation and wonders if he should tell her it's not her fault that the guys are really just amateur stalkers.

--

As Fuji turns to speak to Rie about it, he finds her in a light sleep after the heavy lunch, with a soft smile on her face. Propping himself up by his right arm, Fuji leans over to his right slightly to observe how Rie sleeps with an unguarded face, and how she trusts him enough to relax completely in his presence.

"I can understand how Tezuka can't help but be attracted to you. Although, it is just like him to be unaware about what he is already starting to feel."

Fuji deliberately speaks softly so that the busybodies nearby wouldn't hear what he just said. In truth, he is truly able to see how without even trying, Rie has stirred up something in the depths of Tezuka's heart. It's not love yet, all of them were sure, but it is definitely something.

Fuji knows clearly that Tezuka's favorite catchphrase isn't said without purpose. When Tezuka tells the rest "Yudan sezu ni ikō", he is actually reminding himself that he needs to be careful in living out his life.

Fuji understands with acute clarity that for the both of them, they cannot afford to let their guard down in life, and how over the years, they have both built up walls around them that very few people can break. The walls are what protect them from the world; being unaccustomed to emotions and feelings, they have lived their lives depending only on rationality and logic. Hence, when it comes to notions like love, their minds cannot quite comprehend what their hearts feel.

--

To Tezuka, his guard is to secure what he has built up for himself all over the years. It had not been easy for him to get to where he is now, and he gave up a lot in his life in order to achieve all his goals. Tezuka is a person of perfection and precision. He knows what he wants, and he has never hesitated in giving his all to obtain what he seeks.

Fuji is a person who embodies the ideal. He never does anything wrong, or anything politically incorrect. His presence has an effect on people, whether they like it or not. And for Fuji, he puts up his guard because he is aware that by having knowledge and understanding about a person means you have a certain amount of power over them. Precisely because you _know _a person, you have a sort of authority over that person. Fuji will never allow anyone else to have that kind of control over him.

And yet, as he looks down on the look of contentment on Rie's face, it shocks him to come to the conclusion that Rie is almost the complete opposite of Tezuka and himself, but till now, they have not pushed her away nor stepped back from her. It is as if, somehow, Rie has already affected them before they could even realize it. Perhaps, in this season, both he and Tezuka have come to a point in life where the burden of holding up their guards is getting too heavy for them, and Rie is the person who offers to help share their yoke. Perhaps, they may be subconsciously wanting to let go of their past beliefs, and to experience another way of living life.

--

Leaning back again to his side, Fuji contemplates on what he has just thought of, and as he slowly drifts off to sleep, he is struck by one last fuzzy thought, "I'm actually comfortable now; enough to let down my guard slightly…with her."

* * *

I will really appreciate your reviews!Thanks:)


	10. Trust

Disclaimer - Nothing of _Prince of Tennis_ belongs to me.

A/N - To the readers of this story, thank you so much for taking time off to read this fic of mine, and I'm really sorry for the delay in updates!I kinda hit a stagnant point in my writing, and it was tiring to write. So do pardon this chapter, as it is definitely not my best, but I really tried. And do forgive me for any mistakes, and if the characters turn out too OOC. Thanks once again, and reviews are really appreciated:)

Special thanks to _CoffeeLatte,_ who beta-ed this chapter for me. Thanks dear!

And though it's not much, I will like to dedicate this chapter to all the writers at NXYZ Community a Community for OC Writers FORUM. You people have been amazing, and I thank you for all the help you all have given me. Keep striving to be better OC writers for yourself and for your readers!:D

* * *

_Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation._

- D. Elton Trueblood

* * *

Even though Yumi had warned her about something like this, nothing could have prepared her for the chaos in front of her. The photos are strewn all over the hallway; displayed almost indiscriminately. As Rie tries to ignore the shrieks and name-callings coming from the girls in the hallway, she cannot help but think to herself, 'What a waste of film, time and money.'

For you see, the entire hallway is covered with blown-up pictures of Fuji and Rie on their date. There are pictures of them walking out from the train station, eating and laughing at the park, and even ones of the two lying down on the grass, enjoying the warm breeze that had been present that day. But unfortunately, the photos hadn't escaped the wrath of the person (or people) who printed them. The photos are all horribly messed up by the scrawling of hateful words, and distorted with childish pictures drawn all over her face. Of course, no one would dare to disfigure the 'precious' face of Fuji-sama, and hence, Rie's had face ended up taking the whole brunt of the wrath of Fuji's die-hard fans.

Shaking her head slightly, Rie tries her hardest to push her way out of the crowd, and to ignore the hurtful insults thrown her way by the girls standing in the hallway; she assumes the majority of them are all members of Fuji's fan-club.

"How DARE you think you are worthy of our Fuji-sama?" One of the girls screams right into her face.

Before Rie can even make an attempt to draw away from the crowd, a group of girls positioned themselves in front of her. She looks up only to meet the menacing looks on the girls. Third-years, just like her. Rie recognizes some of them--well, just one of them actually: Tomoyo-san. Rie knows her as the president of Fuji's fan-club, and coincidentally, the person who started off this whole mess.

--

Trying not to sigh, Rie lifts her eyes to look at Tomoyo-san, hoping that the girl will just have some compassion in her to drop the whole issue and let her go.

'Darn, does Tomoyo-san really need to select today to pick a fight with me? There's a history test right at the start of the day, and I just want to sit down in class and go through my notes one more time…' Averting her eyes slightly, Rie sighs unconsciously at how things are all turning out so badly.

Unfortunately, the 'ring-leader' in front of her misunderstands the sigh from Rie, and assumes that Rie was mocking her by not focusing her attention on her.

The impact of a palm coming into contact with her face shakes Rie out of her daze. Raising her hand to touch the side of her face, Rie stares blindly at the murderous look on Tomoyo-san's face.

"Is it not enough that you try to steal Fuji-sama from us, now you try to ignore me as well?" Tomoyo-san hurled those spiteful words at Rie.

Stunned, Rie tries to come up with an appropriate answer. Initially, Rie had thought that as long as she tactfully ignored the words and actions of Tomoyo-san, things will turn out alright.

'I am really not one for conflict; I don't even know where to begin to try to settle things with her…' As Rie tries her hardest to think of a solution, she wishes with all her might that a miracle will just happen and someone will just save her from the embarrassment.

--

Rie's salvation came in the form of her Captain.

"Tomoyo-san, you will serve detention for the next two weeks. This is your punishment for being disrespectful to your fellow schoolmate and for vandalizing the school's hallway." As usual, Misako-buchou spoke in a straightforward and determined manner.

In the end, Misako-buchou being the vice-president of the student's council, forced the group of girls to tear down all the pictures and to clean up the hallway. She also insisted on Tomoyo-san's apology to Rie before dismissing the girls crowding the hallway.

"Rie, can I talk to you for a moment? There's still twenty minutes before your first lesson right?" Misako-buchou turned towards her tennis teammate, and asked to see her for a while.

--

Rie prepares herself for a confrontation from her buchou. No doubt, her buchou would have heard the news about the 'relationship' between Fuji-san and her. She just hopes Misako-buchou will not take her off the tennis team.

"Does your face still hurt?"

Rie looks up in surprise at the concern in her buchou's voice. "No, the pain has gone. Tomoyo-san didn't really slap me that hard actually…"

Misako shakes her head slightly at how Rie is always trying to protect the interests of others. "Well, if you're sure. But I reckon the red mark on your face will take another couple of hours before it will go away."

Rie bows her head in embarrassment. As expected, Misako-buchou saw through her white lie immediately. "Buchou, I know I should have talked to you about this issue last week, but I just didn't know how to-"

Before Rie can explain herself, Misako raises a hand to stop her, "I know how hard it is for you. This is part of the reason why I asked to see you today."

With a smile on her face, Misako continues her speech, "As the buchou of the girls' tennis team, I do not encourage my girls to enter into relationships while they are still involved in the games. But that does not mean I will break up any of your relationships. I just want to make sure that you all know what you are doing, and as long as it does not affect your playing, I will not interfere in your relationships."

Rie breathes out in relief at her buchou's words. For a moment there, she thought she would really be kicked out from the team. "Buchou, does this mean that I can continue to stay in the team and to continue playing?" Rie looks up with pleading eyes, hoping that her Captain meant every word she just said.

"Of course you can. Did you think for a second, that I will allow one of my prized players to leave the team just because some supposed tensai thinks he's good enough for one of my girls?"

Rie stares back at her buchou, surprised at what she just said. "Misako-buchou…" Trying hard not laugh at her buchou's sudden proclamation, Rie reaches over to envelop her buchou in a friendly hug. "Thank you, Misako-buchou. Thank you for being so understanding."

Misako-buchou smiles as she re-assures Rie, "I'm sure the rest of the girls will understand you too. Now, don't you have a history test you have to prepare for?"

Rie quickly releases her hold on her buchou, before apologizing and running off to make it in time for her history test. Turning around, Rie cries out, "Thanks again buchou! I'll see you later for practice!"

--

Surprisingly, the history test turned out pretty well. With hardly a moment to spare and little chance of revising her notes again, Rie had to take the text just minutes after leaving her buchou's side. But fortunately for her, the hard work she put in over the past week didn't go to waste.

After the test, just as she is about to lower her head down to her desk for a moment of respite, her tennis teammate decides to choose that time to bombard her with questions.

"Rie, I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come to school with you today, but I heard Misako-buchou took care of things." Rie smiles at Yumi and tells her that everything's fine now and she doesn't have to worry about not being able to come to school with her earlier. "But honestly, what did Misako-buchou say? Did she scold you? Threaten to take you off the team? Commanded you to run a hundred laps-no, that's more like Tezuka-buchou…"

Rie can hardly keep track of all of Yumi's questions, as she is just rapidly shooting off those questions in her mind. With her utmost patience, Rie prepares herself for a long recess break of just answering the questions of her fellow tennis teammates.

--

The bell for the last lesson finally rings, and without much ado, the three tennis players seated at the back of the class start to pack up their things to prepare to head off to the tennis practice held this afternoon.

"Yuki-san, Haruka-san, I will see you at the tennis courts." As usual, Tezuka is the first to finish packing his things, and he nods his head slightly at the two girls before making his way out of the classroom. He probably figured that the rest of the girls won't try anything funny after the punishment handed out by Fueki-san earlier this morning, so there isn't a need to protect Rie from the onslaught of Fuji's fans.

"Come on Rie, let's head off for tennis! Akino and the rest said they will meet us straight at the courts too." Yumi grabs the arm of Rie before half-dragging Rie out of the classroom.

--

As he steps out of the classroom into the hallway, Tezuka recalls how he'd felt earlier on in the morning when he heard about the commotion. He had wanted to make his way over to the scene, but Fueki-san who was on patrol with him at that point of time said that she will go check out what was happening. He'd let her go, having believed that she would be able to handle things effectively.

But when he saw Rie coming back to the classroom that they shared, with a red mark on her face that looked like a handprint, he wanted to demand what happened to her. Instead, he resigned himself to a look of neutrality as he prepared himself to hear the truth from Rie's explanation to Haruka-san.

Tezuka knew that he could never bring himself to ask Rie personally about what happened earlier, and that he was in no position to comfort her. And yet, the thought that had plagued him for several weeks surfaced once again. 'Weren't you the one who said something about wanting to try to be the 'pillar of support' in Yuki-san's life? Tezuka's usual mask of neutrality broke then, as that accusatory thought pointed out the hypocritical side in his words.

As he glanced over at Rie with a slight frown on his face, he wondered if there will come a day when he will finally be able to talk properly to Rie face to face and to confront head-on the unfamiliar feelings inside of him.

Just as Tezuka was about to turn his head back to face the notes in front of him, his seating partner saw him, and smiled her usual smile at him.

For that moment, he was caught unaware. Just for that second, he considered the effect of him smiling back at her. But before he could do anything, she had already turned back to settle down in her own seat.

Now, as he continues on his way to the tennis courts, and as he remembers the way Rie smiled at him, Tezuka thinks to himself, 'Perhaps, I could have done more.'

* * *

After changing into their respective tennis attire, the girls and the guys gathered together at the tennis courts for a briefing by both captains. Apparently, today's tennis practice was to be slightly different from the usual practice.

"Alright players, I'm sure you heard from Tezuka-san earlier about the change in today's practice. Inui-san, Yumi, and the both of us have decided to merge the training practice of both teams today." At the looks of surprise on the faces of most of the tennis players, she continues. "We will be practicing mixed doubles today. In other words, all of you will be paired up with a player from the other team. The goal of today's practice is to help you all understand the need to complement the playing style of your partner, no matter who he or she is. This skill is primarily for those of you who specialize in doubles, but both Tezuka-san and I agreed that it will benefit the singles players as well, as today's practice will also help to increase your exposure to the different circumstances that can occur on court. So, shall we begin?"

--

Both captains and managers concluded that most of the doubles players will be split up and made to play against each other in order to learn new aspects about their partners while on opposite sides of the courts. Only one game will be played at a time, while the rest of the players will be observing the game in order to learn from the players playing at each time.

Thus, the first two pairs to play turned out to be Kaidoh and Hinako against Eiji and Hiroko. Clearly, it was a match of stamina. The first pair is well-known for their immense amount of stamina; while the latter pair's common weakness is their lack of stamina. Hence, the former pair will, of course, try to win the game through prolonging the rallies in between, while the second pair will have to come up with strategies to try to end the game in the shortest time possible. In the end, the score came out to 6-3. Though Eiji and Hiroko tried their hardest to shorten the game, neither of their stamina levels could take the stress of a long game. However, the game did motivate them to increase their stamina level and to develop more strategies to prolong their game play even in the midst of tiring circumstances.

The second game was between the pairs of Fuji and Kyoko versus Kawamura and Seika. At first Kyoko was unable to counter Kawamura's power tennis, but because of Fuji's three counter moves, the first pair was able to take the game with a score of 6-4. Also, because Kyoko knows that her doubles partner Seika specializes in net play, both Fuji and her sealed off Seika's moves in the latter part of the game by manipulating shots that did not allow Seika to carry out her net play. Hence, Kawamura and Seika were forced to think of how to expand their moves out of their comfort zones of just power tennis and net play respectively, while Kyoko ended up training her arm power to handle shots like Kawamura's.

The third game was Echizen and Misako-buchou playing against Momo and Reika-fukubuchou. At first glance, it seemed that the first pair would overwhelm the second pair based on skills alone. But the aim of the match was to show how when two strong singles players are paired together; it becomes difficult for the players to complement each other as each would try to dominate the pace of the game. In the end, Momo and Reika were able to put up a good fight by forcing the first pair to make common mistakes of amateur doubles players by concentrating their shots at the middle line and places where the first pair would clash in trying to be the one to return the ball. However, Echizen and Misako-buchou still managed to retrieve the game by resolving, albeit grudgingly, to complement each other's play style and using counter moves to avoid the 'middle-line' clash. The game ended with a score of 7-5. Through the game, both Echizen and Misako realized the need for compromise when playing doubles, that in order to win the game, they needed to put aside their differences and to work towards a common goal.

--

And finally, it is time for the last game of the day.

Rie was surprised at being paired up with Tezuka-buchou of all people. She remembered how Akino told her before that she has hardly seen Tezuka play in doubles, commenting on how Tezuka's signature moves like his Tezuka Zone does not allow him to play to his best in doubles, as the move will not work when he is paired up with someone else. So Rie was stunned, to say the least, when Yumi told her that she and Tezuka will be playing against Oishi and Akino.

But before the match, the tensai of the tennis team decided to calm the nerves of his 'supposed' girlfriend. Earlier on, Fuji sought Rie out to apologize about the commotion in the morning, and he told her that he will personally make sure that such things will not happen again. Supposedly, he went to confront the group of girls in his fan-club and warned them about the consequences of such a thing happening again. Rie teased him then about whether he was concerned about losing some fan-girls after the confrontation. Fuji replied in his usual 'charming' manner, "Honestly? I think the numbers for my fan-club increased after the confrontation. Apparently, the girls seemed to like the whole 'protective boyfriend' idea." Rie couldn't help but raise her eyebrows at the weird notion, and ended up rolling her eyes at the smirk on Fuji's face. How she wished she was able to wipe that smug look off of the tensai's face. 'Fuji-sama indeed, _anything_ he does will be considered brilliant by those girls…" she thought.

--

"Nervous?"

Rie turns her head to the side as she tries to answer the one-word question from Fuji.

"To be honest, I am a little nervous. Fuji-san, do you really think Tezuka-san and I will be able to pull off this whole doubles thing?"

Fuji himself is a little surprised that Tezuka decided to pair himself up with Rie, seeing how he has never voluntarily taken part in doubles matches. But he knows more than anyone else, that Tezuka must have something planned in mind already. In any case, things will turn out well.

"Saa, Tezuka never does things without a purpose, and he must have a reason for doing this. Rie-san, you will just have to trust him."

Looking over to where Tezuka is currently preparing his racquet for the upcoming match, Rie feels a slight peace in her heart and mind after hearing Fuji's words. For after all, if she cannot even trust Tezuka, who else can she trust?

Rie smiles as she grips her own racquet, and after thanking Fuji for his advice, she remarks, "Yes, I will trust Tezuka-san."

She turns her head just in time to catch Tezuka looking at her. Without knowing it, Rie smiles at him, confident that whatever happens later, Tezuka-san would never let the both of them down.

* * *


End file.
